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Princeton,  N.  J. 


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THE 


WORKS 

OF  THE 

Rev.  CLAUDIUS  BUCHANAN,  LL.  D. 

COMPRISING  HIS 

CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES  IN  ASIA, 

HIS 

MEMOIR  ON  THE  EXPEDIENCY  OP  AN  ECCLESIASTICAL 
ESTABLISHMENT  FOR  BRITISH  INDIA, 

and  his 

STAR  IN  THE  EAST, 

■WITH 

THREE  NEW  SERMONS. 

TO  WHICH  IS  ADDED, 

DR.  RERR’s  CURIOUS  AND  INTERESTING  REPORT, 

CONCERNING  THE  STATE  OF  THE  CHRISTIANS  IN  COCHIN  AND 

TRAVANCORE, 

MADE  AT  THE  REQUEST  OF  THE  GOVERNOR  OF 
MADRAS. 


NEW-YORK? 

PUBLISHED  BY  WHITING  &  WATSON, 

No.  96,  Broadway. 

E.  &  E.  Eos/ord...  Printers... Albany. 

1812. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/worksofrevclaudiOOunse 


> 


CONTENTS. 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 

IN  ASIA. 


Introduction  .... 

The  Chinese  - 

The  Hindoos  -  ' 

Juggernaut  - 

Immolation  of  Females 

Letters  of  King  George  I.  and  Archbishop  Wake 
Tranquebar  - 

Tanjore  - 

Tritchinopoly  .... 

Versions  of  the  Scriptures  for  the  Hindoos 
The  Ceylonese  .... 

The  Malays  .... 

The  Syrian  Christians  in  India  - 
The  Malabar  Bible  ... 

Syriac  Bible  .... 

Romish  Christians  in  India 
Inquisition  at  Goa  - 

Translation  of  the  Seriptures  for  the  Romish  Cln 
The  Colleges  at  Goa  - 
The  Persians  - 

The  Arabians  - 

The  Arabic  School  for  the  Translation  of  the  Scr 
The  Jews  in  Asia  .... 
Their  MSS.  of  the  Scriptures 
The  Ten  Tribes  - 

Restoration  of  the  Jews 

Versions  of  the  Scriptures  into  the  Eastern  Lan 
for  the  Jews  .  .  *  - 


Page. 

13 

• 

19 

23 

- 

24 

35 

• 

41 

45 

• 

46 

55 

- 

56 

58 

m 

63 

69 

m 

91 

ibid • 

- 

92 

95 

s 

113 

114 

. 

115 

120 

s 

126 

130 

140 

146 

s 

148 

152 

CONTENTS. 


Bibliotheca  Biblica  in  Bengal  ... 

The  Armenians  • 

Ecclesiastical  Establishment  for  British  India 
Letter  on  this  subject  from  Dr.  Watson,  Bishop  of  Llan- 
daff,  to  the  Author  .... 

Conclusion  - 


Page. 
-  155 
158 
.  161 

17Q 
.  174 


MEMOIR 

Of  the  Expediency  of  an  Ecclesiastical  Establishment 


for  British  India. 

Preface  to  the  first  American  Edition  ...  -  179 

Dedication  .........  181 

Introduction  to  Memoir  ......  185 


PART  I. 

On  the  means  of preserving  the  profession  of  the  Chris¬ 
tian  religion  among  our  countrymen  in  India. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Present  state  of  the  English  church  in  India  •  -  387 

CHAPTER  II. 

Of  the  establishment  of  the  Romish  church  in  the  East  188 

CHAPTER  m. 

Of  the  extent  of  the  proposed  ecclesiastical  establishment 
for  British  India  .......  191 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Considerations  deduced  from  the  propriety  or  necessity  of 
an  ecclesiastical  establishment  ....  192 

CHAPTER  V. 

Objections  to  an  ecclesiastical  establishment  considered  194 


CONTENTS. 


PART  II. 

Civilization  of  the  natives, 

CHAPTER  I. 


On  tile  practicability  of  civilizing  the  natives 


Page. 

199 


CHAPTER  II. 

On  the  policy  of  civilizing  the  natives  ...  208 

CHAPTER  III. 

On  the  impediments  to  the  civilization  of  the  natives.  The 
philosophical  spirit  of  Europeans  formerly  an  impedi¬ 
ment  to  the  civilization  of  the  natives  ...  212 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  sanguinary  superstitions  of  the  natives  an  impediment 
to  their  civilization  -  -  .  .  .  .  215 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  numerous holydays  of  the  natives  an  impediment  to 
their  civilization  -  218 


PART  III. 

Of  the  progress  already  made  in  civilizing  the  natives 

of  India, 

CHAPTER  I. 

Of  the  extension  of  Christianity  in  India,  under  the  influence 
of  episcopal  jurisdiction . 221 

CHAPTER  II. 


Of  the  extension  of  Christianity  in  India,  by  the  labours  of 
protestant  missionaries . 225 


CONTENTS. 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 

A.  Record  of  the  superstitious  practices  of  the  Hindoos, 

now  subsisting,  which  inflict  immediate  death,  or 
tend  to  death  ;  deducted  from  the  evidence  of  the 
Pundits  and  learned  Brahmins  in  the  College  of 
Fort  William  ....  245 

B.  Notes  on  the  practicability  of  abolishing  those  prac¬ 

tices  of  the  Hindoos,  which  inflict  immediate  death, 
or  tend  to  produce  death  ;  collated  from  the  infor¬ 
mation  and  suggestions  of  the  Pundits  and  learned 
Brahmins  in  the  College  of  Fort  William  -  250 

C.  A.  D.  1802.  Regulation  YI.  -  -  253 

D.  Report  of  the  number  of  women,  who  have  burned 

themselves  on  the  funeral  pile  of  their  husbands 
within  thirty  miles  round  Calcutta,  from  the  be¬ 
ginning  of  Bysakh  (15th  April)  to  the  end  of  As- 
win  (15th  October,)  1804  -  -  -  254 

E.  Religious  mendicants  -  256 

F.  Different  Hindoo  sects  in  Bengal  -  -  257 

G.  Ancient  civilization  of  India  ...  259 

H.  Excessive  polygamy  of  the  Koolin  Brahmins  -  262 

I.  Testimonies  to  the  general  character  of  the  Hindoos  264 

K.  Jewish  Scriptures  at  Cochin  -  267 

L.  Shanscrit  testimonies  of  Christ  -  -  270 


M.  Chinese  version  of  the  Scriptures ;  and  Chinese  lit¬ 

erature  -  -  -  -  -  271 


CONTENTS, 


SERMON  I. 

The  Star  in  the  East ;  a  Sermon,  preached  in  the  Parish- 
Church  of  St.  James,  Bristol,  on  Sunday,  Feb.  26, 1809, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  “  Society  for  Missions  to  Africa 
and  the  East.” . 

SERMON  II. 


Preached  at  the  Parish-Church  of  St  Anne,  Blackfriars, 
London,  on  Tuesday,  June  12,  1810,  before  the  Soci¬ 
ety  for  Missions  to  Africa  and  the  East. 

SERMON  III. 


The  Eras  of  Light,  being  a  Discourse  preached  before 
the  University  of  Cambridge,  on  Commencement  Sun¬ 
day,  (Morning)  July  1,  1810.  ...  * 


SERMON  IV. 


The  Eras  of  Light,  being  a  Discourse  preached  before 
the  University  of  Cambridge,  on  Commencement  Sun¬ 
day,  (Afternoon)  July  1,  1810.  - 


Dr.  KERR’s  REPORT. 
REVIEW. 


370 

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INTRODUCTION. 


In  his  late  Discourses  before  the  University  of  Cam  ¬ 
bridge,  the  Author  noticed  incidentally  some  general 
circumstances  of  the  darkness  of  Paganism,  and  of  the 
means  which  are  now  employed  to  diffuse  the  light  of 
Christianity  in  the  East.  This  awakened  a  desire  in 
some  Members  of  that  learned  Body  to  know  the  par¬ 
ticulars  ;  for  if  there  were  a  just  expectation  of  success, 
and  if  the  design  were  conducted  in  consonance  with 
the  principles  and  order  of  the  Church  of  England,  it 
might  be  a  proper  subject  for  their  countenance  and 
co-operation.  A  more  detailed  account,  therefore,  will 
probably  be  read  with  interest.  Many,  doubtless,  will 
rejoice  to  see  the  stream  of  Divine  knowledge,  and  civ¬ 
ilization  flowing  to  the  utmost  ends  of  the  earth.  And 
even  those  who  have  hitherto  heard  of  the  progress  of 
Christianity  with  little  concern,  may  be  induced  to  re¬ 
gard  it  with  a  humane  solicitude. 

In  the  College  of  Fort-William  in  Bengal,  there 
was  a  department  for  translating  the  Scriptures  into 
the  Oriental  languages  ;  and,  so  early  as  1805  (the  fifth 
year  of  its  institution)  a  commencement  had  been  made 
in  five  languages.  The  first  version  of  any  of  the  Gos¬ 
pels  in  the  Persian  and  Hindostanee  languages  which 
were  printed  in  India,  issued  from  the  Press  of  the 
College  of  Fort-William.  The  Persian  was  superin¬ 
tended  by  Lieut.  Colonel  Colebrooke,  and  the  Hin¬ 
dostanee  by  William  Hunter,  Esq.  The  Gospels  were 
translated  into  the  Western  Malay  by  Thomas  Jarrett, 
Esq.  of  the  Civil  Service ;  into  the  Orissa  language  by 
Pooroosh  Ram,  the  Orissa  Pundit;  and,  into  the  Mah 

B 


14 


INTRODUCTION. 


ratta  language  by  Vydyunath,  the  Mahratta  Pundit,  un¬ 
der  the  superintendance  of  Dr.  William  Carey.* 

The  College  was  founded  on  the  4th  of  May,  1800. 
After  it  had  flourished  for  almost  seven  years,  during 
which  period  it  produced  nearly  one  hundred  volumes 
in  Oriental  literature, f  the  Court  of  Directors  resolved 
on  reducing  its  establishment  within  narrower  limits 
on  the  1st  of  January,  1807.  In  consequence  of  this 
measure,  the  translations  of  the  Scriptures  and  som« 
other  literary  works  were  suspended. 

As  this  event  had  been  long  expected,  the  Superin- 
tendants  of  the  College,  who  were  sensible  of  the  im¬ 
portance  of  restoring  Sacred  learning  to  the  East,  had 
begun,  some  time  before,  to  consider  of  the  means,  by 
which  that  benefit  might  yet  be  secured.  Much  ex¬ 
pense  had  already  been  incurred.  Many  learned  na¬ 
tives  had  come  from  remote  regions  to  Calcutta,  whose 
services  could  not  be  easily  replaced ;  and  who  never 
could  have  been  assembled,  but  by  the  influence  of  the 
supreme  government,  as  exerted  by  the  Marquis  Wel¬ 
lesley.  The  Court  of  Directors  were  probably  not  ful¬ 
ly  aware  of  the  importance  of  the  works  then  carry¬ 
ing  on,  (although,  indeed,  their  objection  was  not  so 
much  to  the  utility,  as  to  the  expense  of  the  Institution) 
».nd  it  was  believed  that  a  time  would  come,  when 
they  would  be  happy  to  think  that  these  works  had 
not  been  permitted  to  fall  to  the  ground.  It  was  not, 
however,  their  causing  the  expense  to  cease  which  was 
the  chief  source  of  regret ;  but  that  the  unity  of  the 
Undertaking  was  now  destroyed.  The  College  of 
Fort-William  had  been  identified  with  the  Church  of 
England;  and,  under  that  character,  had  extended  a 
liberal  patronage  to  all  learned  men  who  could  pro¬ 
mote  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures.  But  now  these 
translations  being  no  longer  subject  to  its  revision,  its 
responsibility  would  also  cease. j: 

*  See  “  First  Four  Years  of  the  College  of  Fort* William p. 
230.  CaJell  and  Davie s. 

f  Ibid.  219. 

t  It  will  be  gratifying  to  the  public  to  learn  that  the  College  of 
Fort-William  is  now  in  a  flourishing  state,  and  has  received  the 
final  sanction  and  patronage  of  the  East-India  Company.  It  owes 


INTRODUCTION. 


Under  these  circumstances  the  Superintendants  cf 
the  College  resolved  to  encourage  individuals  to  pro¬ 
ceed  with  their  versions  by  such  means  as  they  could 
command ;  and  to  trust  to  the  contributions  ot  the 
public,  and  to  the  future  sanction  of  the  Government, 
for  the  perpetuity  of  the  design.  They  purposed  at 
the  same  time,  not  to  confine  the  undertaking  to  Ben¬ 
gal  alone,  or  to  the  territories  of  the  Company  ;  but  to 
extend  it  to  every  part  of  the  East,  where  fit  instru¬ 
ments  for  translation  could  be  found.  With  this  view, 
they  aided  the  designs  of  the  Baptist  Missionaries  in 
Bengal,  of  the  Lutheran  Missionaries  in  Coromandel 

much  to  the  cultivated  mind  and  liberal  spirit  of  Lord  Minto, 
the  present  Governor-General  of  India.  His  Lordship  had  not 
been  many  months  in  that  country,  before  he  perceived  its  import¬ 
ance  to  the  interests  of  the  British  Empire  in  the  East ;  and  his 
annual  Speeches  at  the  public  Disputations,  shew  that  he  thinks 
the  College  of  Fort-William  deserves  as  much  of  his  attention  and 
support  as  any  department  under  his  Government.  It  will  be  yet 
more  gratifying  to  many  to  hear  that  the  College  of  Fort -William 
is  likely  to  become  oncepnore  a  fountain  of  Translation  for  the 
Sacred  Scriptures.  Dr.  Leyden,  Professor  of  the  Ilmdostanee 
Language,  has  come  forward  (March  1810)  with  a  proposal  to  su¬ 
perintend  the  Translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  seven  Langua¬ 
ges,  hitherto  little  cultivated  in  India.  This  subject  will  be  no¬ 
ticed  hereafter. 

It  was  expected  that  the  East-India  College  at  Hertford  would 
eventually  supersede  the  College  in  Bengal ;  but  it  is  obvious, 
that  in  order-to  give  any  efficiency  to  the  purposes  of  a  College 
at  home,  there  must  be  also  a  College  abroad.  Little  more  than 
the  elements  of  the  Oriental  Languages  can  be  conveniently  learnt 
in  England.  But  this  elementary  labor  at  home  is  doubtless  so 
much  time  saved  in  India.  And  thus  far  the  Institution  at  Hert¬ 
ford,  independently  of  its  other  objects,  is  highly  useful,  in  sub¬ 
serviency  to  the  College  of  Fort-William.  The  two  Institutions 
combine  the  primary  idea  of  Marquis  Wellesley;  and  the  expense 
is  not  less  than  that  Statesman  had  originally  intended.  There  is 
this  difference  in  the  execution,  that  there  are  now  two  Institutions 
instead  of  one  His  Lordship  proposed  that  the  two  Institutions 
should  be  in  India,  combined  in  one  ;  and  his  reasons  were,  that 
the  organs  of  speech  in  youth  are  more  flexible  at  an  early  age 
for  learning  a  new  language  :  and  that  the  constitution  of  young 
persons  assimilates  more  easily  to  a  strange  climate.  There  are 
various  advantages  however  in  having  the  elementary  Institution  at 
home  which  may  counterbalance  these  reasons  ;  and  if  it  continue 
to  be  conducted  with  the  same  spirit  and  effect  which  have  hith¬ 
erto  distinguished  it,  I  think  that  the  present  plan  is  preferable. 


15 


INTRODUCTION. 


belonging  to  a  the  Society  for  promoting  Christian 
Knowledge,”  and  of  the  other  Missionaries  in  the 
East  connected  with  Societies  in  England  and  Scot¬ 
land  :  and  also  patronized  those  Roman  Catholic 
Missionaries  in  the  South  of  India  whom  they  found 
qualified  for  conducting  useful  works.  About  the 
same  period  they  exerted  themselves  in  circulating 
proposals  for  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  the 
Oriental  Languages,  by  the  Baptist  Missionaries  in 
Bengal  among  the  English  settlements  in  Asia,  and  in 
promoting  subscriptions  for  that  object  by  all  the 
means  in  their  power  ;  and  when  it  was  proposed  to 
the  Governor-General  (Lord  Minto,  then  just  arrived) 
to  suppress  this  Mission,  a  memorial  was  addressed  to 
the  Government  in  its  behalf. 

In  order  to  obtain  a  distinct  view  of  the  state  of 
Christianity  and  of  Superstition  in  Asia,  the  Superin- 
tendants  of  the  College  had,  before  this  period,  entered 
into  correspondence  with  intelligent  persons  in  differ¬ 
ent  countries ;  and,  from  every  quarter,  (even  from  the 
confines  of  China)  they  received  encouragement  to 
proceed.  But,  as  contradictory  accounts  were  given 
by  different  writers  concerning  the  real  state  of  the 
numerous  tribes  in  India,  both  of  Christians  and  Na¬ 
tives,  the  Author  conceived  the  design  of  devoting  the 
last  year  or  two  of  his  residence  in  the  East,  to  pur¬ 
poses  of  local  examination  and  inquiry.  With  this 
view,  he  travelled  through  the  Peninsula  of  India  by 
land,  from  Calcutta  to  Cape  Comorin,  a  continent  ex¬ 
tending  through  fourteen  degrees  of  latitude,  and  visi¬ 
ted  Ceylon  thrice.  And  he  soon  discovered  that  a  per¬ 
son.  may  reside  all  his  life  in  Bengal,  and  yet  know  al¬ 
most  as  little  of  other  countries  in  India,  for  instance, 
of  Travancore,  Ceylon,  Goa,  or  Madura,  of  their  man¬ 
ners,  customs,  habits,  and  religion,  as  if  he  had  never 
left  England.*  The  principal  objects  of  this  tour,  were 
to  investigate  the  state  of  Superstition  at  the  most 
celebrated  temples  of  the  Hindoos  ;  to  examine  the 

*  Of  the  Books  published  in  Britain  on  the  discussion  relating 
to  Missions  and  the  state  of  India,  the  most  sensible  and  authentic 
are,  in  general,  those  written  by  learned  men  of  the  Universities 
who  have  »ever  been  in  the  East. 


INTRODUCTION. 


17 


Churches  and  Libraries  of  the  Romish,  Syrian,  and 
Protestant  Christians  ;  to  ascertain  the  present  state 
and  recent  history  of  the  Eastern  Jews  ;  and  to  dis¬ 
cover  what  persons  might  be  fit  instruments  for  the 
promotion  of  learning  in  their  respective  countries,  and 
for  maintaining  a  future  correspondence  on  the  subject 
of  disseminating  the  Scriptures  in  India.  In  pursu¬ 
ance  of  these  objects  the  Author  visited  Cuttack,  Gan- 
jam,  Visagapatam,  Samulcotta,  Rajamundry,  Ellore,  On- 
gole,  Neilore,  Madras,  Mailapoor,  Pondicherry,  Cuda- 
lore,  Tranquebar,  Tanjore,  Tritchinopoly,  Aughoor, 
Madura,  Palamcotta,  Ramnad,  Jaffna-patem,  Columbo, 
Manaar,  T  utecorin,  Augengo,  Quilon,  Cochin,  Cran- 
ganor,  Verapoli,  Calicut,  Tellicherry,  Goa,  and  other 
places  between  Cape  Comorin  and  Bombay  ;  the  interior 
of  T ravancore  and  the  interior  of  Malabar  ;  also  seven 
principal  Temples  of  the. Hindoos,  viz.  Seemachalum 
in  the  Telinga  country,  Chillumbrum,  Seringham,  Ma¬ 
dura,  Ramisseram,  Eleplianta,  and  Juggernaut. 

After  this  tour,  the  Author  returned  to  Calcutta, 
where  he  remained  about  three  quarters  of  a  year  lon¬ 
ger  :  and  then  visited  the  Jews  and  the  Syrian  Chris¬ 
tians  in  Malabar  and  T ravancore  a  second  time  before 
bis  return  to  England. 

Those  nations  or  communities  for  whom  translations 
of  the  Scriptures  have  been  commenced  under  the 
patronage  or  direction  already  alluded  to,  are  the  fol¬ 
lowing  :  the  Chinese,  the  Hindoos,  the  Cingalese  or 
Ceylonese,  the  Malays,  the  Syrian  Christians,  the  Rom¬ 
ish  Christians,  the  Persians,  the  Arabians,  and  the 
Jews.  Of  these  it  is  proposed  to  give  some  account 
in  their  order. 


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1 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES, 

&rc.  8fc. 


THE  CHINESE. 

In  the  discussions  concerning  the  promulgation  of 
Christianity,  some  writers  have  confined  their  views 
intirely  to  India,  merely,  it  is  supposed,  because  India 
is  connected,  by  political  relation  with  Great  Britain. 
India  however,  contains  but  a  small  part  of  the  nations 
which  seek  the  Revelation  of  God.  The  Malayan 
Archipelago  includes  more  territory  and  a  larger  pop¬ 
ulation  than  the  continent  of  India.  China  is  a  more 
extensive  field  than  either ;  and  is,  in  some  respects, 
far  more  important.  The  Romish  Church  has  main¬ 
tained  a  long  and  ineffectual  contest  with  that  empire  ; 
because  it  would  never  give  the  people,  “  the  good  and 
perfect  gift,”  the  Bible.  It  further  degraded  the  doc¬ 
trine  of  the  Cross  by  blending  it  with  Pagan  rites. 

The  means  of  obtaining  a  version  of  the  Scriptures 
in  the  Chinese  language,  occupied  the  minds  of  the 
superintendants  of  the  College  of  Fort-William,  at  an 
early  period.  It  appeared  an  object  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  procure  an  erudite  Professor  who  should 
undertake  such  a  work  ;  for,  if  but  a  single  copy  of 
the  Scriptures  co\ild  be  introduced  into  China,  they 
might  be  transcribed  in  almost  every  part  of  that  im¬ 
mense  empire.  Another  object  in  view  was  to  intro¬ 
duce  some  knowledge  of  the  Chinese  Language  among 
ourselves;  for  although  the  Chinese  Forts  on  the  Tibet 
frontier  overlook  the  Company’s  territories  in  Bengal, 
there  was  not  a  person,  it  was  said,  in  the  Company’^ 


20 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


service  in  India,  who  could  read  a  common  Chinese 
letter. 

After  a  long  inquiry  they  succeeded  in  procuring 
Mr.  Joannes  Lassar,  an  Armenian  Christian,  a  native 
of  China  and  a  proficient  in  the  Chinese  Language, 
who  had  been  employed  by  the  Portuguese  at  Macao, 
in  conducting  their  official  correspondence  with  the 
Court  of  Pekin.  He  was  willing  to  relinquish  his  com¬ 
mercial  pursuits  and  to  attach  himself  to  the  College, 
for  a  salary  of  £A50  a  year.  But  as  the  order  for  re¬ 
ducing  the  establishment  of  the  College  was  daily  ex¬ 
pected,  this  salary  could  not  be  given  him.  The  ob¬ 
ject  however  was  so  important,  and  Mr.  Lassar  ap¬ 
peared  to  be  so  well  qualified  to  execute  it,  that  they 
thought  fit  to  retain  him  at  the  above  stipend  in  a  pri¬ 
vate  character.  He  entered  immediately  on  the  trans¬ 
lation  of  the  Scriptures  into  the  Chinese  Language, 
and  this  work  he  has  continued  to  carry  on  to  the  pre¬ 
sent  time.  But,  as  his  services  might  be  made  other¬ 
wise  useful,  they  resolved  to  establish  a  class  of  youths 
under  his  tuition  ;  and  as  they  could  not  obtain  the 
young  civil  servants  of  the  Company  for  this  purpose, 
they  proposed  to  the  Baptist  Missionaries  that  Mr. 
Lassar  should  reside  at  Serampore  which  is  near  Cal¬ 
cutta,  on  the  following  condition  :  that  one  of  their 
elder  Missionaries,  and  three  at  least  of  their  youths, 
should  immediately  engage  in  the  study  of  the  Chinese 
Language.  Dr.  Carey  declined  the  offer,  but  Mr. 
Marshman  accepted  it,  and  vras  joined  by  two  sons  of 
his  own,  and  a  son  of  Dr.  Carey  ;  and  they  have  pros¬ 
ecuted  their  studies  with  unremitted  attention  for  about 
live  years. 

In  the  year  1807,  a  copy  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  Mat¬ 
thew  in  the  Chinese  Language,  translated  by  Mr.  Las¬ 
sar,  and  beautifully  written  by  himself,  was  transmit¬ 
ted  to  bis  Grace  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  for  the 
Lambeth  Library.  Since  that  period  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  New-Testament  has  been  printed  off 
from  blocks,  after  the  Chinese  manner. 

The  proficiency  of  ihe  Chinese  pupils  has  far  sur¬ 
passed  the  most  sanguine  hopes  which  were  previous¬ 
ly  entertained,  and  has  been  already  publicly  noticed- 


RESPECTING  THE  CHINESE. 


21 


His  Excellency  Lord  Minto,  Governor-General  of  In¬ 
dia,  in  his  first  annual  Speech  to  the  College  of  Fort  - 
William,  has  recorded  the  following  testimony  to  their 
progress  in  the  language,  and  to  the  importance  of 
their  attainments. 

“  If  I  have  not  passed  beyond  the  legitimate  bounds 
of  this  discourse,  in  ranging  to  the  extremity  of  those 
countries,  and  to  the  furthest  island  of  that  vast  Ar¬ 
chipelago  in  which  the  Malay  Language  prevails,  I 
shall  scarcely  seem  to  transgress  them,  by  the  short 
and  easy  transition  thence  to  the  language  of  China. 
I  am,  in  truth,  strongly  inclined,  whether  regularly  or 
not,  to  deal  one  encouraging  word  to  the  meritorious, 
and,  I  hope,  not  unsuccessful  effort,  making,  I  may 
say,  at  the  door  of  our  College,  though  not  admitted  to 
its  portico,  to  force  that  hitherto  impregnable  fortress, 
the  Chinese  Language. — Three  young  men,  I  ought 
indeed  to  say,  boys,  have  not  only  acquired  a  ready 
use  of  the  Chinese  Language,  for  the  purpose  of  oral 
communication  (which  1  understand  is  neither  difficult 
nor  rare  amongst  Europeans  connected  with  China) 
but  they  have  achieved,  in  a  degree  worthy  of  admira¬ 
tion,  that  which  has  been  deemed  scarcely  within  the 
reach  of  European  faculties  or  industry  ;  I  mean  a  very 
extensive  and  correct  acquaintance  with  the  written 
Language  of  China.  I  will  not  detail  the  particulars 
of  the  Examination  which  took  place  on  the  tenth  of 
this  month  (February  1808)  atSerampore,  in  the  Chinese 
Language,  the  report  of  which  1  have  read,  however, 
with  great  interest,  and  recommended  to  the  liberal  no¬ 
tice  of  those  whom  I  have  the  honor  to  address.  It 
is  enough  for  my  present  purpose  to  say,  that  these 
young  pupils  read  Chinese  books  and  translate  them  ; 
and  they  write  compositions  of  their  own  in  the  Chi¬ 
nese  Language  and  character.  A  Chinese  Press  too 
is  established,  and  in  actual  use.  In  a  word,  if  the 
founders  and  supporters  of  this  little  College  have  not 
yet  dispelled,  they  have  at  least  sent  and  admitted  a 
dawn  of  day  through  that  thick  impenetrable  cloud ; 
they  have  passed  that  Oceanian  dissociabilcm ,  which  for 


22 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


so  many  ages  has  insulated  that  vast  Empire  from  the 
rest  of  mankind.” 

“  I  must  not  omit  to  commend  the  zealous  and  per¬ 
severing  labors  of  Mr.  Lassar,  and  of  those  learned 
and  pious  persons  associated  with  him,  who  have  ac¬ 
complished,  for  the  future  benefit,  we  may  hope,  of 
that  immense  and  populous  region,  Chinese  Ver¬ 
sions  in  the  Chinese  Character,  of  the  Gospels  of 
Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke,  throwing  open  that  pre¬ 
cious  mine,  with  all  its  religious  and  moral  treasure  to 
the  largest  associated  population  in  the  world.”* 

When  this  Chinese  Class  was  first  established,  it 
was  directed  that  there  should  be  regular  public  Ex¬ 
aminations  and  Disputations,  as  at  the  College  of  Fort- 
William.  The  Examination  in  September  1808,  (a 
few  months  after  the  above  Speech  of  Lord  Minto 
was  pronounced)  was  held  in  the  presence  of  J.  H. 
Harington,  Esq.  Vice-President  of  the  Asiatic  Society, 
Dr.  John  Leyden,  and  other  Oriental  scholars  ;  when 
the  three  youths,  mentioned  above,  maintained  a  Dis¬ 
putation  in  the  Chinese  Language.  On  this  occasion, 
the  Respondent  defended  the  following  position  ;  “  To 
commit  to  memory  the  Chinese  Classics  is  the  best 
mode  of  acquiring  the  Chinese  Language.” 

One  most  valuable  effect  of  these  measures  is  a  work 
just  published  by  Mr.  Joshua  Marshman,  the  elder 
pupil  of  Mr.  Lassar.  It  is  the  first  volume  of  “  the 
Works  of  Confucius,  containing  the  Original  Text, 
with  a  translation  ;  to  which  is  prefixed,  a  Dissertation 
on  the  Chinese  Language,  pp.  877,  4to  ;”  to  be  follow¬ 
ed  by  four  volumes  more.  This  translation  will  be 
received  with  gratitude  by  the  learned,  and  will  be 
considered  as  a  singular  monument  of  the  indefatiga¬ 
ble  labor  of  an  English  Missionary  in  the  acquisition 
of  a  new  language. 

While  treating  of  the  cultivation  of  the  Chinese 
Language,  it  will  be  proper  to  notice  the  endeavors  of 
the  London  Missionary  Society  in  the  same  depart¬ 
ment.  While  Mr.  Lassar  and  Mr.  Marshman  are 
translating  the  Scriptures  at  Calcutta,  Mr.  Morrison  is 
prosecuting  a  similar  work  at  Canton  in  China,  with 


*  See  College  Report  for  1808. 


RESPECTING  THE  HINDOOS.  2S 

the  aid  of  able  native  scholars.  It  is  stated  in  the  Re¬ 
port  of  their  Society,  that  the  principal  difficulties  have 
been  surmounted,  and  that  the  period  of  his  acquiring 
a  complete  knowledge  of  the  language  is  by  no  means 
so  distant  as  what  he  once  expected.  “  It  has  proved 
of  great  advantage  to  him  that  he  copied  and  carried 
out  with  him  the  Chinese  translation  of  the  Gospels 
preserved  in  the  British  Museum,  which  he  now  finds 
from  his  own  increasing  acquaintance  with  the  lan¬ 
guage,  and  the  opinion  of  the  Chinese  assistants,  to  be 
exceedingly  valuable,  and  which  must,  from  the  excel¬ 
lency  of  the  style,  have  been  produced  by  Chinese  na¬ 
tives.”  He  adds,  that  the  manuscript  of  the  New-Tes- 
tament  is  fit  to  be  printed ;  and  that  he  proposes  to 
publish  also  a  Dictionary  and  a  Grammar  of  the  lan¬ 
guage,  the  last  of  which  is  already  “  prepared  for  the 
press.”*  The  expense  to  the  London  Missionary  So¬ 
ciety  for  the  current  year,  in  the  Chinese  department 
alone,  is  stated  to  be  £.500. 

The  foregoing  notices  of  the  progress  of  Chinese  lit¬ 
erature  will,  I  doubt  not,  be  acceptable  to  many ;  for 
the  cultivation  of  the  Chinese  language,  considered 
merely  in  a  political  point  of  view,  must  prove  of  the 
utmost  advantage  to  this  country,  in  her  further  trans¬ 
actions  with  that  ancient  and  ingenious,  but  jealous, 
incommunicative,  and  partially  civilized  nation. 

THE  HINDOOS. 

It  is  admitted  by  all  writers  that  the  civilization  of 
the  Hindoos  will  be  promoted  by  intercourse  with  the 
English.  But  this  only  applies  to  that  small  portion 
of  the  natives,  who  live  in  the  vicinity  of  Europeans, 
and  mix  with  them.  As  for  the  bulk  of  the  popula¬ 
tion,  they  scarcely  ever  see  an  Englishman.  It  be¬ 
comes  then  of  importance  “  to  ascertain  what  have 
been  the  actual  effects  of  Christianity  in  those  interior 
provinces  of  Hindostan,  where  it  has  been  introduced 
by  the  Christian  Missionaries ;”  and  to  compare  them 
with  such  of  their  countrymen  as  remain  in  their 
pristine  idolatry.  It  was  a  chief  object  of  the  Author’s 

*  Report  of  London  Missionary  Society  for  1810,  p.  22. 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


tour  through  India,  to  mark  the  relative  influence  of 
Paganism  and  Christianity.  In  order  then  that  the 
English  nation  may  be  able  to  form  a  judgment  on 
this  subject,  he  will  proceed  to  give  some  account  of 
the  Hindoos  of  Juggernaut ,  and  of  the  native  Chris¬ 
tians  in  Tanjore .  The  Hindoos  of  Juggernaut  have 
as  yet  had  no  advantages  of  Christian  instruction :  and 
continue  to  worship  the  Idol  called  Juggernaut.  The 
native  Christians  of  Tanjore,  until  the  light  of  Revela¬ 
tion  visited  them,  worshipped  an  idol  also,  called  the 
great  Black  Bull  of  Tanjore.  And,  as  in  this  brief 
work  the  Author  proposes  to  state  merely  what  he 
himself  has  seen,  with  little  comment  or  observation, 
it  will  suffice  to  give  a  few  extracts  from  the  Journal 
of  his  Tour  through  these  Provinces. 

Extracts  from  the  Author’s  Journal  in  his  Tour 

to  the  Temple  of  Juggernaut  in  Orissa,  in  the  year 

1806. 

<(  Buddruck  in  Orissa ,  May  30th,  1806. 

We  know  that  we  are  approaching  Juggernaut  (and 
yet  we  are  more  than  fifty  miles  from  it)  by  the  human 
bones  which  we  have  seen  for  some  days  strewed  by 
the  way.  At  this  place  we  have  been  joined  by  sev¬ 
eral  large  bodies  of  pilgrims,  perhaps  2000  in  number, 
who  have  come  from  various  parts  of  Northern  India, 
Some  of  them,  with  whom  I  have  conversed,  say  that 
they  have  been  two  months  on  their  march,  travelling 
slowly  in  the  hottest  season  of  the  year,  with  their  wives 
.and  children.  Some  old  persons  are  among  them  who 
wish  to  die  at  Juggernaut.  Numbers  of  pilgrims  die  on 
the  road;  and  their  bodies  generally  remain  unburied. 
•On  a  plain  by  the  river,  near  the  pilgrim’s  Caravansera 
at  this  place,  there  are  more  than  a  hundred  skulls. 
The  dogs,  jackals,  and  vultures,  seem  to  live  here  on 
human  prey.  The  vultures  exhibit  a  shocking  tame¬ 
ness.  The  obscene  animals  will  not  leave  the  body 
sometimes  till  we  come  close  to  them.  This  Buddruck 
is  a  horrid  place.  Wherever  I  turn  my  eyes,  I  meet 
death  in  some  shape  or  other.  Surely  Juggernaut  can¬ 
not  be  worse  than  Buddruck.” 


RESPECTING  THF,  HINDOOS. 


25 


In  sight  of  Juggernaut ,  12 th  June. 

__ .  » 

..-—■Many  thousands  of  pilgrims  have  accompanied  us 
for  some  days  past.  They  cover  the  road  before  and 
behind  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  At  nine  o’clock 
this  morning,  the  temple  of  Juggernaut  appeared  in 
view  at  a  great  distance.  When  the  multitude  first 
saw  it,  they  gave  a  shout,  and  fell  to  the  ground  and 
worshipped.  I  have  heard  nothing  to-day  but  shouts 
and  acclamations  by  the  successive  bodies  of  pilgrims. 
From  the  place  where  I  now  stand  I  have  a  view  of  a 
host  of  people  like  an  army,  encamped  at  the  outer 
gate  of  the  town  of  Juggernaut;  where  a  guard  of  sol¬ 
diers  is  posted  to  prevent  their  entering  the  town,  until 
they  have  paid  the  pilgrim’s  tax.  I  passed  a  devotee 
to-day  who  laid  himself  down  at  every  step,  measuring 
the  road  to  Juggernaut,  by  the  length  of  his  body ,  as  a 
penance  of  merit  to  please  the  god.” 

“  Outer  Uate  of  Juggernaut ,  12 th  June. 

■ - A  disaster  has  just  occurred.  As  I  approached 

the  gate,  the  pilgrims  crowded  from  all  quarters  around 
me,  and  shouted,  as  they  usually  did  when  I  passed 
them  on  the  road,  an  expression  of  welcome  and  re¬ 
spect.  I  was  a  little  alarmed  at  their  number,  and 
looked  round  for  my  guard.  A  guard  of  soldiers  had 
accompanied  me  from  Cuttack,  the  last  military  sta¬ 
tion  ;  but  they  were  now  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  be¬ 
hind,  with  my  servants  and  the  baggage.  The  pil¬ 
grims  cried  out  that  they  were  entitled  to  some  indul¬ 
gence,  that  they  wrere  poor,  that  they  could  not  pay 
the  tax ;  but  I  was  not  aware  of  their  design.  At  this 
moment,  when  I  was  within  a  few  yards  of  the  gate, 
an  old  Sanyassee  (or  holy  man)  who  had  travelled  soma 
days  by  the  side  of  my  horse,  came  up  and  said,  “  Sir, 
you  are  in  danger  ;  the  people  are  going  to  rush  through, 
the  gate  when  it  is  opened  for  you.”  I  immediately 
dismounted,  and  endeavored  to  escape  to  one  side ;  but 
it  was  too  late.  The  mob  was  now  in  motion,  and  with 
a. tumultuous  shout  pressed  violently  towards  the  gate. 
The  guard  within  seeing  my  danger  opened  it,  and 
tho  multitude  rushing  through,  carried  me  forward 

C 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


29 

in  the  torrent  a  considerable  space  ;  so  that  I  was  literal¬ 
ly  borne  into  Juggernaut  by  the  Hindoos  themselves. 
A  distressing  scene  followed.  As  the  number  and 
strength  of  the  mob  increased,  the  narrow  way  was 
ehoaked  up  by  the  mass  of  people  ;  and  I  apprehended 
that  many  of  them  would  have  been  suffocated,  oi* 
bruised  to  death.  My  horse  was  yet  among  them.  But 
suddenly  one  of  the  side  posts  of  the  gate,  which  was 
of  wood,  gave  way  and  fell  to  the  ground.  And  per¬ 
haps  this  circumstance  alone  prevented  the  loss  of  lives. 
Notice  of  the  event  was  immediately  communicated  to 
Mr.  Hunter,  the  superintendant  of  the  temple,  who 
repaired  to  the  spot,  and  sent  an  additional  guard  to  the 
inner  gate,  lest  the  people  should  force  that  also ;  for 
there  is  an  outer  and  an  inner  gate  to  the  town  of  Jug¬ 
gernaut  ;  but  both  of  them  are  slightly  constructed. 
Mr.  Hunter  told  me  that  similar  accidents  sometimes 
occur,  and  that  many  have  been  crushed  to  death  by 
the  pressure  of  the  mob.  He  added,  that  sometimes  a 
body  of  pilgrims  (consisting  chiefly  of  women  and 
children  and  old  men)  trusting  to  the  physical  weight 
of  their  mass,  will  make,  what  he  called,  a  charge  on 
the  armed  guards,  and  overwhelm  them  ;  the  guards 
not  being  willing  in  such  circumstances,  to  oppose 
their  bayonets.” 


■u  Juggernaut ,  14 th  June. 

- 1  have  seen  Juggernaut.  The  scene  at  Buddruck 

is  but  the  vestibule  to  Juggernaut.  No  record  of  an-  ' 
cient  or  modern  history  can  give,  I  think,  an  adequate 
idea  of  this  valley  of  death  ;  it  may  be  truly  compared 
with  the  “  vailey  of  Ilinnom.”  The  idol  called  Jug¬ 
gernaut,  has  been  considered  as  the  Moloch  of  the 
present  age  ;  and  he  is  justly  so  named,  for  the  sacri¬ 
fices  offered  up  to  him  by  self-devotement,  are  not  less 
criminal,  perhaps  not  less  numerous,  than  these  re¬ 
corded  of  the  Moloch  of  Canaan.  Two  other  idols 
accompany  Juggernaut,  namely,  Boloram  and  Shubu- 
dra  his  brother  and  sister  ;  for  there  are  three  Deities 
worshipped  here.  They  receive  equal  adoration  and 
4  sit  on  thrones  of  nearly  equal  height.” 


Respecting  the  htneuos. 


57 

t: - This  morning- 1  viewed  the  Temple  ;  a  stupend¬ 

ous  fabric,  and  truly  commensurate  with  the  extensive 
sway  of  “  the  horrid  king.”  As  other  temples  are 
usually  adorned  with  figures  emblematical  of  their  Re¬ 
ligion;  .so  Juggernaut  has  representations  (numerous 
and  various)  of  that  vice,  which  constitutes  the  essence 
of  his  worship.  The  walls  and  gates  are  cheered  with 
indecent  emblems,  in  massive  and  durable  sculpture. 
I  have  also  visited  the  sand  plains  by  the  sea,  in  some 
places  whitened  with  the  bones  of  the  pilgrims  ;  and 
another  place  a  little  way  out  of  the  town,  called  by  the 
English,  the  Golgotha,  where  the  dead  bodies  are 
usually  cast  forth  ;  and  where  dogs  and  vultures  are 
ever  seen.* 

“  The  grand  Hindoo  festival  of  the  Rutt  Jattra,  takes 
place  on  the  18th  inst.  when  the  idol  is  to  be  brought 
iorth  to  the  people.  I  reside  during  my  stay  here  at 
the  house  of  James  Hunter,  Esq.  the  Company’s  col¬ 
lector  of  the  tax  on  pilgrims,  and  superintendant  of  the 
temple,  formerly  a  student  in  the  College  of  Fort- Wil¬ 
liam;  by  whom  I  am  hospitably  entertained,  and  also 
by  Capt.  Patton  and  Lieut.  Woodcock,  commanding  the 
military  force.  Mr.  Hunter  distinguished  himself  at 
the  College  by  his  proficiency  in  the  Oriental  Lan¬ 
guage.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  polished  manners,  and  of 
classical  taste.  The  agreeable  society  of  these  gentle¬ 
men  is  very  refreshing  to  my  spirits  in  the  midst  of  the 
present  scenes.  I  was  surprised  to  see  how  little  they 
seemed  to  be  moved  by  the  scenes  of  Juggernaut.  They 
s.al  ^  they  w  e  1  e  now  so  accustomed  to  them,  they  thought 
little  of  them.  They  had  almost  forgot  their  first  im¬ 
pressions.  Their  houses  are  on  the  sea  shore,  about 

*  The  vultures  generally  find  out  the  prey  first:  and  begin  with 
tne  intestines ;  for  the  flesh  of  the  body  is  too  firm  for  their  beaks 
immediately  after  death.  l>ut  die  dogs  soon  receive  notice  of 
the  circumstance,  generally  from  seeing  the  Hurries  or  corpse- 
carriers  returning  from  the  place.  On  the  approach  of  the  doss, 
the  vultures  retire  a  few  yards,  and  wait  till  the  body  be  sufficient¬ 
ly  lorn  for  easy  deglutition.  The  vultures  and  dogs  often  feed  to- 
get  her ;  and  sometimes  begin  their  attack  before  the  pilgrim  be 
quite  dead.  There  are  four  animals  which  are  sometimes  seen 
about  a  carcase,  the  dog,  the  jackal,  the  vulture,  and  the  Hitr- 
geela,  or  Adjutant,  called  by  Pennant,  the  Gigantic  Crane. 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


J>8r 

(pir 

a  mile  or  more  from  the  temple.  They  cannot  live 
nearer,  on  account  of  the  offensive  effluvia  of  the 
town.  For  independently  of  the  enormity  of  the 
superstition,  there  are  other  circumstances  which  ren¬ 
tier  Juggernaut  noisome  in  an  extreme  degree.  The 
senses  are  assailed  by  the  squalid  and  ghastly  appear¬ 
ance  of  the  famished  pilgrims  ;  many  of  whom  die  in 
the  streets  of  want  or  of  disease  ;  while  the  devotees 
with  clotted  hair  and  painted  flesh,  are  seen  practising 
their  various  austerities,  and  modes  of  self-torture. 
Persons  of  both  sexes,  with  little  regard  to  conceal¬ 
ment,  sit  down  on  the  sands  close  to  the  town,  in  pub¬ 
lic  view  ;  and  the  sacred  bulls  walk  about  among 
them  and  eat  the  ordure .* 

“  The  vicinity  of  Juggernaut  to  the  sea  probably  pre¬ 
vents  the  contagion,  which  otherwise  would  be  produ¬ 
ced  by  the  putrefactions  of  the  place.  There  is  scarce¬ 
ly  any  verdure  to  refresh  the  sight  near  Juggernaut ; 
the  temple  and  town  being  nearly  emcompassed  by  hills 
of  sand ,  which  has  been  cast  up  in  the  lapse  of  ages  by 
the  surge  of  the  ocean.  All  is  barren  and  desolate  to 
the  eye  ;  and  in  the  ear  there  is  the  never  intermitting 
sound  of  the  roaring  sea.” 


“  Juggernaut ,  18 th  of  June. 

li  — —I  have  returned  home  from  witnessing  a  scene 
which  I  shall  never  forget.  At  twelve  o’clock  of  this 
day,  being  the  great  day  of  the  feast,  the  Moloch  of 
Hindoostan  was  brought  out  of  his  temple  amidst  the 
acclamations  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  his  worship¬ 
pers.  When  the  idol  was  placed  on  his  throne,  a 
shout  was  raised,  by  the  multitude,  such  as  I  had  never 
heard  before.  It  continued  equable  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  then  gradually  died  away.  After  a  short  interval 
of  silence,  a  murmur  was  heard  at  a  distance  ;  all  eyes 
were  turned  towards  the  place,  and,  behold,  a  grove 
advancing  !  A  body  of  men,  having  green  branches, 

*  This  singular  fact  was  pointed  out  to  me  by  the  gentlemen 
here.  There  is  no  vegetation  for  the  sacred  Hulls  on  the  sand 
plains.  They  are  fed  generally  with  vegetables  from  the  hands  of 
the  pilgrims.' 


RESPECTING  THE  HINDOOS. 


29 


or  palms  in  their  hands,  approached  with  great  celerity. 
X  lie  people  opened  a  way  for  them  ;  and  when  they  had 
come  up  to  the  throne,  they  fell  down  before  him 
that  sat  thereon,  and  worshipped.  And  the  multitude 
again  sent  forth  a  voice  u  like  the  sound  of  a  great 
thunder.”  But  the  voices  I  now  heard,  were  not  those 
of  melody  or  of  joyful  acclamation ;  for  there  is  no 
harmony  in  the  praise  ol  Moloch’s  worshippers.  Their 
numbei  indeed  brought  to  my  mind  the  countless  mul¬ 
titude  of  the  Revelations  ;  but  their  voices  crave  no 
tuneful  Hosannah  or  Hallelujah  ;  but  rather  a  ye'll  of  ap- 
piobation,  united  with  a  kind  of  hissing  applause.*  I 
was  at  a.  loss  how  to  account  for  this  latter  noise,  until 
I  was  directed  to  notice  the  women  ;  who  emitted  a 
sound  like  that  of  whistling ,  with  the  iips  circular,  and 
the  tongue  vibrating:  as  if  a  serpent  would  speak  by 
their  organs,  uttering  human  sounds. 

The  tut  one  cl  the  idol  was  placed  on  a  stupendous 
car  or  tower  about  sixty  feet  in  height,  resting  on 
wneels  which  indented  the  ground  deeply,  as  they  turn  ¬ 
ed  slowly  under  the  ponderous  machine.  Attached  to 
it  were  six  cables,  of  the  size  and  length  of  a  ship’s 
cable,  by  which  the  people  drew  it  along.  Upon  the 
tower  were  the  priests  and  satellites  of  the  idol,  sur¬ 
rounding  his  throne,  i  he  idol  is  a  block  of  wood,  hay- 
mg  a  frightful  visage  painted  black,  with  a  distended 
mouth  of  a  bloody  color.  His  arms  are  of  gold,  and 
he  is  dressed  in  gorgeous  apparel.  The  other  two  idols 
are  of  a  white  and  yellow  color.  Five  elephants  nre- 
peded  the  three  towers,  bearing  towering  flags,  dressed 
in  crimson  caparisons,  and  having  bells  hanging  to  their 
caparisons,  which  sounded  musically  as  they  moved.” 

“  I  wcnt  °.n  in  the  procession,  close  by  the  tower  of 
Moloch  ;  which,  as  it  was  drawn  with  difficulty,  c  rated 
on  its  many  wheels  harsh  thunder.f  After  a  few  min- 

*  See  Milton's  Pandemonium,  Rook  X. 

t  ^  wo  °f  tiie  military  gentlemen  had  mounted  mv  elephant  that 
they  might  witness  the  spectacle,  and  had  brought  him  close 
to  the  tower ;  but  the  moment  it  began  to  move,  the  animal  alarm- 
t  d  at  the  unusual  noise,  took  fright  and  ran  ,fF  through  the  crowd 
till  he  was  stopped  by  a  wail  Tne  natural  fear  of  the  elephant 
irn  he  should  injure  human  life,  was  remarkably  exemplified  on 

c  2 


so 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


utes  it  stopped  ;  and  now  the  worship  of  the  god  began. 
A  high  priest  mounted  the  car  in  front  of  the  idol,  and 
pronounced  his  obscene  stanzas  in  the  ears  of  the  peo¬ 
ple  ;  who  responded  at  intervals  in  the  same  strain. 
“  These  songs,”  said  he,  “  are  the  delight  of  the  god. 
His  car  can  only  move  when  he  is  pleased  with  the 
song.”  The  car  moved  on  a  little  way  and  then  stopped. 
A  boy  of  about  twelve  years  was  then  brought  forth  to 
attempt  something  yet  more  lascivious,  if  peradventure 
the  god  would  move.  The  “  child  perfected  the  praise” 
of  his  idol  with  such  ardent  expression  and  gesture, 
that  the  god  was  pleased,  and  the  multitude  emitting 
a  sensual  yell  of  delight,  urged  the  car  along.  After  a 
few  minutes  it  stopped  again.  An  aged  minister  of 
the  idol  then  stood  up,  and  with  a  long  rod  in  his  hand, 
which  he  moved  with  indecent  action,  completed  the 
variety  of  this  disgusting  exhibition.  I  felt  a  conscious¬ 
ness  of  doing  wrong  in  witnessing  it.  I  was  also  some¬ 
what  appalled  at  the  magnitude  and  horror  of  the  spec¬ 
tacle  ;  1  felt  like  a  guilty  person,  on  whom  all  eyes  were 
fixed,  and  I  was  about  to  withdraw.  But  a  scene  of  a 
different  kind  was  now  to  be  presented.  The  charac¬ 
teristics  of  Moloch’s  worship  are  obscenity  and  blood. 
We  have  seen  the  former.  Now  comes  the  blood.” 

“  After  the  tower  had  proceeded  some  way,  a  pilgrim 
announced  that  he  was  ready  to  offer  himself  a  sacrifice 
to  the  idol.  He  laid  himself  down  in  the  road  before 
the  tower  as  it  was  moving  along,  lying  on  his  face, 
with  his  arms  stretched  forwards.  The  multitude 
passed  round  him,  leaving  the  space  clear,  and  he  was 
crushed  to  death  by  the  wheels  of  the  tower.  A  shout 
of  joy  was  raised  to  the  god.  He  is  said  to  smile  when 
the  libation  of  the  blood  is  made.  The  people  threw 
cowries,  or  small  money,  on  the  body  of  the  victim, 

this  occasion.  Though  the  crowd  was  very  closely  set,  he  en¬ 
deavored,  in  the  midst  of  his  own  terror,  to  throw  the  people  off 
on  both  sides  with  his  feet,  and  it  was  found  that  he  had  only 
trod  upon  one  person.  It  was  with  great  concern  I  afterwards 
learnt  that  this  was  a  poor  woman,  and  that  the  fleshy  part  of  her 
leg  had  been  torn  off.  There  being  no  medical  person  here, 
"Lieut.  Woodcock  with  great  humanity  endeavoured  to  dress  the 
wound  and  attended  Iter  daily  ;  and  Mr.  Hunter  ordered  her  to  bs 
supplied  with  every  thing  that  might  conduce  to  her  recovery. 


HE  SPEC  TING  THE  HINDOOS. 


o  1 

O  i 


in  approbation  of  the  deed.  He  was  left  to  view  a 
considerable  time,  and  was  then  carried  by  the  Hurries 
to  the  Golgotha,  where  I  have  just  been  viewing  his 
remains.  How  much  I  Avished  that  the  Proprietors  of 
India  Stock  could  have  attended  the  Avhecls  of  Jugger¬ 
naut,  and  seen  this  peculiar  source  of  their  revenue.’* 

Juggernaut ,  20 th  June. 

“  Moloch,  horrid  king,  besmeared  with  blood 
“  Of  human  sacrifice,  and  parents’ tears.”  Milton. 

<c - The  horrid  solemnities  still  continue.  Yesterday 

a  woman  devoted  herself  to  the  idol.  She  laid  herself 
-down  on  the  road  in  an  oblique  direction,  so  that  the 
wheel  did  not  kill  her  instantaneously,  as  is  generally 
the  case  ;  but  she  died  in  a  few  hours.  This  morning 
as  I  passed  the  Place  of  Skulls,  nothing  remained  of  hep 
but  her  bones.” 

“  And  this,  thought  I,  is  the  worship  of  the  Brahmins 
of  Hindoostan  !  And  their  worship  in  its  sublimest  de¬ 
gree  1  What  then  shall  Ave  think  of  their  private  man¬ 
ners,  and  their  moral  principles  !  For  it  is  equally  true 
of  India  as  of  Europe.  If  you  Avould  knoAv  the  state 
of  the  people,  look  at  the  state  of  the  temple.” 

u  I  was  surprised  to  see  the  Brahmins  with  their 
heads  uncovered  in  the  open  plain  falling  doAvn  in  the 
midst  of  the  Sooclers  before  “  the  horrid  shape,”  and 
mingling  so  complacently  Avith  “  that  polluted  cast.” 
But  this  proved  what  I  had  before  heard  that  so  great 
a  god  is  this,  that  the  dignity  of  high  cast  disappears 
before  him.  This  great  king  recognizes  no  distinction, 
of  rank  among  his  subjects.  All  men  are  equal  in  his 
presence.” 

u  Juggernaut,  21  st  June. 

a  The  idolatrous  processions  continue  for  some  days 
longer,  but  my  spirits  are  so  exhausted  by  the  constant' 
view  of  these  enormities,  that  I  mean  to  hasten  away 
from  this  place  sooner  than  I  at  first  intended.  I  beheld 
another  distressing  scene  this  morning  at  the  Place  of 
Skulls  ;  a  poor  woman  lying  dead,  or  nearly  dead,  and 
her  two  children  by  her,  looking  at  the  dogs  and  yul* 


S2 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES1 


tuves  which  were  near.  The  people  passed  by  with¬ 
out  noticing-  the  children.  1  asked  them  where  was 
their  home.  They  said,  u  they  had  no  home  but  where 
their  mother  was.”  O,  there  is  no  pity  at  Juggernaut ! 
no  mercy,  no  tenderness  of  heart  in  Moloch’s  kingdom  ! 
Those  who  support  his  kingdom,  err,  I  trust,  from  ig¬ 
norance.  “  They  know  not  what  they  do.” 

“  As  to  the  number  of  worshippers  assembled-  here 
at  this  time,  no  accurate  calculation  can  be  made.  The 
natives  themselves,  when  speaking  of  numbers  at  par¬ 
ticular  festivals,  usually  say  that  a  lack  of  people 
(100,000)  would  not  be  missed.  I  asked  a  Brahmin 
how  many  he  supposed  were  present  at  the  most  nu¬ 
merous  festival  he  had  ever  witnessed.  “  How  can  I 
tell,”  said  he,  “  how  many  grains  there  are  in  a  hand¬ 
ful  of  sand  ?” 

u  The  languages  spoken  here  are  various,  as  there 
are  Hindoos  from  every  country  in  India:  but  the  two 
chief  languages  in  use  by  those  who  are  resident,  are 
the  Orissa  and  the  Telinga.  The  border  of  the  Te- 
linga  Country  is  only  sf  few  miles  distant  from  the 
Tower  of  Juggernaut.” 

u  Chilka  Lake,  24 ih  June. 

- 1  felt  my  mind  relieved  and  happy  when  I  had 

passed  beyond  the  confines  of  Juggernaut.  I  certainly 
was  not  prepared  for  the  scene.  But  no  one  can  know 
what  it  is  who  has  not  seen  it.  From  an  eminence* 
on  the  pleasant  banks  of  the  Chilka  Lake  (where  no 
human  bones  are  seen,)  I  had  a  view  of  the  lofty  tower 
of  Juggernaut  far  remote;  and  while  I  viewed  it,  its 
abominations  came  to  mind.  It  was  on  the  morning 
of  the  Sabbath.  Ruminating  long  on  the  wide  and  ex¬ 
tended  empire  of  Moloch  in  the  heathen  world,  I  cher¬ 
ished  in  my  thoughts  the  design  of  some  “  Christian 
Institution,”  which  being  fostered  by  Britain,  my 
Christian  country,  might  gradually  undermine  this 
baleful  idolatry,  and  put  out  the  memory  of  it  foreyer.'* 

*  Manickpatain. 


RESPECTING  THE  HINDOOS. 


Annual  Expenses  of  the  Idol  Juggernaut,  presented 
to  the  English  Government. 


[Extracted  from  the  Official  Accounts.] 


1.  Expenses  attending  the  table  of  the  idol 

2.  Ditto  of  his  dress  or  wearing  apparel 

3.  Ditto  of  the  wages  of  his  servants  -  -  - 

4.  Ditto  of  contingent  expenses  at  the  differ¬ 

ent  seasons  of  pilgrimage  -  - 

5.  Ditto  of  his  elephants  and  horses  -  - 

6.  Ditto  of  his  rutt  or  annual  state  carriage 


Rupees.  1.  sterling. 
36,115  or  4,514 

2.712  339 

10,057  1,259 

10,989  1,373 

3,030  378 

6.713  839 


Rupees  69,616  l.  8,702 


“  In  item  third,  11  wages  of  his  servants,”  are  includ¬ 
ed  the  wages  of  the  courtezans ,  who  are  kept  for  the 
service  of  the  temple. 

“  Item  sixth.  What  is  here  called  in  the  official  ac¬ 
count  “  the  state  carriage,”  is  the  same  as  the  car  or 
tower.  Mr.  Hunter  informed  me  that  the  three  “  state 
carriages”  were  decorated  this  year  (in  June  1806) 
with  upwards  of  /.  200  sterling  worth  of  English  broad¬ 
cloth  and  baize. 

“  Of  the  rites  celebrated  in  the  interior  of  Juggernaut 
called  the  Daily  Service ,  I  can  say  nothing  of  my  own 
knowledge,  not  having  been  within  the  Temple.”* 

*  The  Temple  of  Juggernaut  is  under  the  immediate  control  of 
the  English  Government,  who  levy  a  tax  on  pilgrims  as  a  source 
of  revenue.  See  “  A  Regulation  (by  the  Bengal  Government) 
for  levying  a  Tax  from  Pilgrims  resorting  to  the  Temple  of  Jug- 
gernaut,  and  for  the  Superintendance  and  Management  of  the 
Temple.  Passed  April  3,  1806.” 

The  province  of  Orissa  first  became  subject  to  the  British  Em¬ 
pire  under  the  administration  of  the  Marquis  Wellesley,  who  per¬ 
mitted  the  pilgrims  at  first  to  visit  Juggernaut  without  paying 
tribute  It  was  proposed  to  his  Lordship,  soon  after,  to  pass  the 
above  Regulation  for  the  management  of  the  Temple,  and  levying 
the  tax  ;  but  he  did  not  approve  of  it,  and  actually  left  the  Gov¬ 
ernment  without  giving  his  sanction  to  the  approbrious  law.  When 
the  measure  was  discussed  by  the  succeeding  Government,  it  was 
resisted  by  George  Udny,  Esq.  one  of  the  Members  of  the  Su¬ 
preme  Council,  who  recorded  his  solemn  dissent  on  the  proceed¬ 
ings  of  Government,  for  tx*fi.,mission  to  England.  The  other 
members  considered  Juggernaut  to  be  a  legitimate  source  of  rev* 


34 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


JUGGERNAUT  IN  BENGAL. 

Lest  it  should  be  supposed  that  the  rites  of  Jug¬ 
gernaut  are  confined  to  the  Temple  in  Orissa,  or  that 
the  Hindoos  there  practise  a  more  criminal  supersti¬ 
tion  than  they  do  in  other  places,  it  may  be  proper  to 
notice  the  effects  of  the  same  idolatry  in  Bengal.  The 
English  nation  will  not  expect  to  hear  that  the  blood  of 
Juggernaut  is  known  at  Calcutta  ;  but,  alas,  it  is  shed 
at  the  very  doors  of  the  English,  almost  under  the  eye 
of  the  Supreme  Government.  Moloch  has  many  a  tow¬ 
er  in  the  province  of  Bengal,  that  fair  and  fertile  pro¬ 
vince  which  has  been  called  “  The  Garden  of  Nations.” 
Close  to  Ishera,  a  beautiful  villa  on  the  river’s  side, 
about  eight  miles  from  Calcutta,  once  the  residence  of 
Governor  Hastings,  and  within  view  of  the  present 
Governor-General’s  country-house,  there  is  a  temple  of 
this  idol  which  is  often  stained  with  human  blood.  At 
the  festival  of  the  Rutt  Jattra  in  May  1807,  the  Author 
visited  it,  on  his  return  from  the  South  of  India,  having 
heard  that  its  rites  were  similar  to  those  of  Jugger¬ 
naut. 

u  Juggernaut's  Tcmp.lt ,  near  Ishera ,  on  the  Ganges  : 

“  Rutt  Jattra ,  May,  1807. 

<c  The  tower  here  is  drawn  along,  like  that  at  Jug¬ 
gernaut,  by  cables.  The  number  of  worshippers  at 
this  festival  is  computed  to  be  about  a  hundred  thou¬ 
sand.  The  tower  is  covered  with  indecent  emblems, 
which  were  freshly  painted  for  the  occasion,  and  were 

cnee,  on  the  principle,  I  believe,  that  money  from  other  temples 
in  Hindostan  had  long  been  brought  into  the  treasury.  It  is  just 
that  I  should  state  that  these  gentlemen  (though  their  opinion  on 
this  subject  will  differ  so  much  from  that  of  their  countrymen  at 
home)  are  men  of  the  most  honorable  principles  and  of  unimpeach¬ 
ed  integrity.  Nor  would  any  one  of  them,  I  believe  (for  1  have 
the  honor  to  know  them)  do  any  thing  which  he  thought  injurious 
to  the  honor  or  religion  of  his  country.  Eut  the  truth  is  this, 
that^hose  persons  who  go  to  India  in  early  youth,  and  witness 
the  Hindoo  customs  all  their  life,  seeing  little  at  the  same  time  of 
the  Christian  Religion  to  counteract  the  effect,  are  disposed  to 
view  them  with  complacency,  and  are  sometimes  in  danger  of  at 
length  considering  them  even  as  proper  or  necessary. 


RESPECTING  THE  HINDOOS. 


the  objects  of  sensual  gaze  by  both  sexes.  One  of  the 
victims  of  this  year  was  a  well  made  young  man,  of 
healthy  appearance  and  comely  aspect.  He  had  a  gar¬ 
land  of  flowers  round  his  neck,  and  his  long  black  hair 
was  dishevelled.  He  danced  for  a  while  before  the 
idol,  singing  in  an  enthusiastic  strain,  and  then  rush¬ 
ing  suddenly  to  the  wheels,  he  shed  his  blood  under 
the  tower  of  obscenity.  I  was  not  at  the  spot  at  the 
time,  my  attention  having  been  engaged  by  a  more 
pleasing  scene. 

“  On  the  other  side,  on  a  rising  ground  by  the  side 
of  a  Tank,  stood  the  Christian  Missionaries,  and  around 
them  a  crowd  of  people  listening  to  their  preaching. 
The  town  of  Serampore,  where  the  Protestant  Mission¬ 
aries  reside,  is  only  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  this 
Temple  of  Juggernaut.  As  I  passed  through  the  mul¬ 
titude,  I  met  several  persons  having  the  printed  papers 
of  the  Missionaries  in  their  hands.  Some  of  them  were 
reading  them  very  gravely  ;  others  were  laughing  with 
each  other  at  the  contents,  and  saying,  “  What  do  these 
words  mean  ?” 

“  I  sat  down  on  an  elevated  spot  to  contemplate  this 
scene ;  the  tower  of  blood  and  impurity  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  Christian  Preachers  on  the  other.  I 
thought  on  the  commandment  of  our  Saviour,  “  Go  ye, 
teach  all  nations.'  I  said  to  myself,  How  great  and 
glorious  a  ministry  are  these  humble  persons  now  ex¬ 
ercising  in  the  presence  of  God  1”  How  is  it  applaud¬ 
ed  by  the  holy  Angels,  who  «  have  joy  in.  heaven  over 
one  sinner  that  repenteth  and  how  far  does  it  trans¬ 
cend  the  work  of  the  Warrior  or  Statesman,  in  charity, 
utility,  and  lasting  fame  ?  And  I  could  not  help  wishing 
that  the  Representatives  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  my 
own  country  had  been  present  to  witness  this  scene,  that 
they  might  have  seen  how  practicable  it  is  to  offer  Chris¬ 
tian  instruction  to  our  Hindoo  subjects.” 

IMMOLATION  OF  FEMALES. 

Before  the  author  proceeds  to  shew  the  happy  ef¬ 
fects  of  Christianity  in  those  provinces  of  India  where  it 
has  been  introduced,  it  may  be  proper  to  notice  in  this 


56 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


place  that  other  sanguinary  rite  of  the  Hindoo  supersti¬ 
tion,  the  Female  Sacrifice.  The  report  of  the  num¬ 
ber  of  women  burned  within  the  period  of  six  months 
near  Calcutta,  will  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  the  mul¬ 
titude  who  perish  annually  in  India. 

t(  REPORT  of  the  number  of  Women  who  were  Burn¬ 
ed  Alive  on  the  Funeral  Pile  of  their  Husbands  with¬ 
in  thirty  miles  round  Calcutta,  from  the  beginning  of 
Bysakh  (15th  April)  to  the  end  of  Aswin  (15th  Oc¬ 
tober)  1804.” 

Women  burned 
alive. 

From  Gurria  to  Barrypore  ;  at  eleven  different 

places*  18 

From  Tolly’s  Nullah  mouth  to  Gurria ;  at  seven¬ 
teen  different  places  36 

From  Barrypore  to  Buhipore;  at  seven  places  11 

From  Seebpore  to  Balleea;  at  five  places  10 

From  Balee  to  Bydyabattee  ;  at  three  places  3 

From  Bydyabattee  to  Bassbareea;  at  five  places  10 

From  Calcutta  to  Burahnugur  (or  Barnagore  ;) 

at  four  places  6 

From  Burahnugur  to  Chanok  (or  Barrackpore ;) 

at  six  places.  13 

From  Chanock  to  Kachrapara;  at  four  places  8 

Total  of  women  burned  alive  in  six  months, 

near  Calcutta  115 

“  The  above  Report  was  made  by  persons  of  the  Hin¬ 
doo  cast,  deputed  for  that  purpose,  under  the  superin¬ 
tendance  of  the  Professor  of  the  Shanscrit  and  Benga¬ 
lee  languages  in  the  College  of  Fort-William.  They 
were  ten  in  number,  and  were  stationed  at  different  pla¬ 
ces  during  the  period  of  six  months.  They  gave  in 
their  account  monthly,  specifying  the  particulars  of  each 
immolation,  so  that  every  individual  instance  was  sub¬ 
ject  to  investigation  immediately  after  its  occurrence. 

“  By  an  account  taken  in  1803,  the  number  of  wo- 

*  See  the  names  of  the  places  and  other  particulars  in  Memoir  of 
the  Expediency  of  cm  Ecclesiastical  Establishment  in  British  India. 


RESPECTING  THE  HINDOOS. 


men  sacrificed,  during  that  year,  within  thirty  miles 
round  Calcutta,  was  two  hundred  and  seventy-five. 

“  In  the  foregoing  Report  of  six  months  in  1804,  it 
will  be  perceived  that  no  account  was  taken  of  burnings 
in  a  district  to  the  west  of  Calcutta,  nor  further  than 
twenty  miles  in  some  other  directions ;  so  that  the  whole 
number  of  burnings  within  thirty  miles  round  Cal¬ 
cutta  must  have  been  considerably  greater  than  is  here 
stated.” 

The  following  account  will  give  the  reader  some 
idea  of  the  flagitious  circumstances  which  sometimes 
attend  these  sacrifices. 

SACRIFICE  OF  THE  KOOLIN  BRAHMIN’S 
THREE  WIVES. 

“  Calcutta ,  oOth  Sejit.  180T. 

“  A  horrid  tragedy  was  acted,  on  the  12th  instant, 
near  Barnagore  (a  place  about  three  miles  above  Cal¬ 
cutta.;  A  Koolin  Brahmin  of  Cammar-hattie,  by  name 
Kristo  Deb  Mookerjee,  died  at  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-two.  He  had  twelve  wives  ;*  and  three  of  them 
were  burned  alive  with  his  dead  body.  Of  these  three, 
one  was  a  venerable  lady,  having  white  locks,  who  had 
been  long  known  in  the  neighborhood.  Not  being  able 
to  walk,  she  was  carried  in  a  palanquin  to  the  place  of 
burning ;  and  was  then  placed  by  the  Brahmins  on  the 
funeral  pile.  The  two  other  ladies  were  younger ;  one 
of  them  of  a  very  pleasing  and  interesting  countenance. 

*  The  Koolin  Brahmin  is  the  purest  of  all  Brahmins,  and  is  priv¬ 
ileged  to  marry  as  many  wives  as  he  pleases.  The  Hindoo  fam¬ 
ilies  account  it  an  honor  to  unite  their  daughters  with  a  Koolin 
Brahmin.  “  The  Ghaniucks  or  Registrars  of  the  Koolin  cast  state 
that  Rajeb  Bonnerjee,  now  of  Calcutta,  has  forty  wives;  and  that 
Raj-chunder  Bonnerjee,  also  of  Calcutta,  has  forty-two  wives,  and 
intends  to  marry  more  :  that  Ramraja  Bonnerjee,  of  Bicrampore, 
aged  thirty  years,  and  Pooran  Bonnerjee,  Rajkissore  Chutterjee, 
and  lloopram  Mookerjee,  have  each  upwards  of  forty  wives,  and 
intend  to  marry  more ;  that  Birjoo  Mookerjee,  of  Bicrampore, 
who  died  about  five  years  ago,  had  ninety  wives.”  This  account 
was  authenticated  at  Calcutta  in  the  year  1804.  See  further  par¬ 
ticulars  in  “  Memoir”  before  quoted. 


£8 


C  HR.ISTIAN  RLSEAR C  HUS 


The  old  lady  was  placed  on  one  side  of  the  dead  hus¬ 
band,  and  the  two  other  wives  laid  themselves  down  on 
the  other  side  ;  and  then  an  old  Brahmin,  the  eldest  son 
of  the  deceased,  applied  his  torch  to  the  pile,  with  una¬ 
verted  face.  The  pile  suddenly  blazed,  for  it  was 
covered  with  combustibles ;  and  this  human  sacrifice 
was  completed  amidst  the  din  of  drums  and  cymbals, 
and  the  shouts  of  Brahmins.  A  person  present  ob¬ 
served,  ‘  Surely  if  Lord  Minto  were  here,  who  is  just 
come  from  England,  and  is  not  used  to  see  women 
bumed  alive,  he  w  ould  have  saved  these  three  ladies.’ 
The  Mahomedan  Governors  saved  whom  they  pleased, 
and  suffered  no  deluded  female  to  commit  suicide,  with¬ 
out  previous  investigation  of  the  circumstances,  and  of¬ 
ficial  permission. 

“  In  a  discussion  which  this  event  has  produced  in 
Calcutta,  the  following  question  has  been  asked,  Who 

WAS  GUILTY  OF  THE  BLOOD  OF  THE  OLD  LADY  ? 

for  it  was  manifest  that  she  could  not  destroy  herself? 
She  was  carried  to  be  burned.  It  was  also  alleged  that 
the  Brahmin  who  fired  the  pile  ivas  not  guilty,  because 
lie  was  never  informed  by  the  English  Government, 
that  there  was  any  immorality  in  the  action.  On  the 
contrary,  he  might  argue  that  the  English,  witnessing 
this  scene  daily,  as  they  do,  without  remonstrance,  ac¬ 
quiesced  in  its  propriety.  The  Government  in  India 
was  exculpated,  on  the  ground  that  the  Government  at 
home  never  sent  any  instructions  on  the  subject;  and 
the  Court  of  Directors  were  exculpated,  because  they 
were  the  agents  of  others.  It  remained  that  the  pro¬ 
prietors  of  India  Stock,  who  originate  and  sanction  all 
proceedings  of  the  Court  of  Directors,  -were  remotely 
accessary  to  the  deed.” 

The  best  vindication  of  the  great  body  of  Proprie¬ 
tors,  is  this,  that  some  of  them  never  heard  of  the  Fe¬ 
male  Sacrifice  at  all ;  and  that  fewr  of  them  are  ac¬ 
quainted  with  the  full  extent  and  frequency  of  the 
crime.  Besides,  in  the  above  discussion,  it  was  taken 
for  granted  that  the  Court  of  Directors  have  done 
nothing  Unvards  the  suppression  of  this  enormity;  and 
that  the  Court  of  Proprietors  have  looked  on,  without 


RESPECTING  THE  HINDOO'S. 


00 

concern  at  this  omission  of  duty.  But  this,  perhaps, 
may  not  be  the  case.  The  question  then  remains  to 
be  asked.  Have  the  Court  of  Directors  at  any  time 
sent  instructions  to  their  Government  in  India,  to  re¬ 
port  on  the  means  by  which  the  frequency  of  the  fe¬ 
male  sacrifice  might  be  diminished,  and  the  practice  it¬ 
self  eventually  abolished  ?  Or  have  the  Proprietors 
of  India  Stock  at  any  time  instructed  the  Court  of 
Directors  to  attend  to  a  point  of  so  much  consequence 
to  the  character  of  the  Company ,  and  the  honor  of 
the  nation  ? 

That  the  abolition  is  practicable  has  been  demon¬ 
strated  j  and  that  too  by  the  most  rational  and  lenient 
measures ;  and  these  means  have  been  pointed  out  by 
the  Brahmins  themselves.* 

Had  Marquis  Wellesley  remained  in  India,  and 
been  permitted  to  complete  his  salutary  plans  for  the 
improvement  of  that  distant  Empire  (for  he  did  not 
finish  one  half  of  the  civil  and  political  regulations 
which  he  had  in  view,  and  had  actually  commenced) 
the  Female  Sacrifice  would  probably  have  been  by  this 
time  nearly  abolished.!  The  humanity  and  intrepid 
spirit  of  that  nobleman  abolished  a  yet  more  criminal 
practice  which  was  considered  by  the  Hindoos  as  a 
religious  rite,  and  consecrated  by  custom,  I  mean  the 
Sacrifice  of  Children.  His  Lordship  had  been  in¬ 
formed  that  it  had  been  a  custom  of  the  Hindoos  to 
sacrifice  children  in  consequence  of  vows,  by  drown¬ 
ing  them,  or  exposing  them  to  Sharks  and  Crocodiles  ; 
and  that  twenty-three  persons  had  perished  at  Saugor 
in  one  month  (January  1801)  many  of  whom  were 
sacrificed  in  this  manner.  He  immediately  instituted 
an  inquiry  into  the  principle  of  this  ancient  atrocity, 
heard  what  Natives  and  Europeans  had  to  say  on  the 
subject ;  and  then  passed  a  law,  “  declaring  the  practice 
to  be  murder  punishable  by  death.”  The  law  is  en¬ 
titled  “  A  Regulation  for  preventing  the  Sacrifice  of 
Children  at  Saugor  and  other  places ;  passed  by  the 
Governor-General  in  Council  on  the  20th  of  August 
1802.”  The  purpose  of  this  regulation  was  completely 

*  See  them  detailed  in  Memoir ,  part  II.  chap.  IV.  sect.  3. 

t  Ibid. 


40 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


effected.  Not  a  murmur  was  heard  on  the  subject : 
nor  has  any  attempt  of  the  kind  come  to  our  knowledge 
since.  It  is  impossible  to  calculate  the  number  of 
human  lives  that  have  been  saved,  during  the  last 
eight  years,  by  this  humane  law  of  Marquis  Welles¬ 
ley.  Now  it  is  well  known  that  it  is  as  easy  to  pre¬ 
vent  the  sacrifice  of  women  as  the  sacrifice  of  children. 
Has  this  fact  ever  been  denied  by  any  man  who  is 
competent  to  offer  a  judgment  on  the  subject?  Until 
the  supreme  Government  in  Bengal  shall  declare  that 
it  is  utterly  impracticable  to  lessen  the  frequency  of  the 
Immolation  of  Females  by  any  means,  the  author 

WILL  NOT  CEASE  to  CALL  THE  ATTENTION  OF  THE 

English  Nation  to  this  subject. 

TANJORE. 

The  Letters  of  King  George  the  First  to  the 
Missionaries  in  India,  will  form  a  proper  introduction 
to  the  account  which  is  now  intended  to  give  of  the 
Christian  Hindoos  of  Tanjore.  The  first  Protestant 
Mission  in  India  was  founded  by  Bartholomew  Zieg- 
cmbalg,  a  man  of  erudition  and  piety,  educated  at  the 
University  of  Halle  in  Germany.  He  was  ordained 
by  the  learned  Burmannus,  bishop  of  Zealand  in  his 
twenty -third  year,  and  sailed  for  India  in  1705.  In 
the  second  year  of  his  ministry  he  founded  a  Christian 
Church  among  the  Hindoos,  which  has  been  extending 
its  limits  to  the  present  time.  In  1714  he  returned  to 
Europe  for  a  short  time,  and  on  that  occasion  was 
honored  with  an  audience  by  his  Majesty  George  the 
First,  who  took  much  interest  in  the  success  of  the 
Mission.  He  was  also  patronized  by  “  the  Society  for 
promoting  Christian  Knowledge,”  which  was  superin¬ 
tended  by  men  of  distinguished  learning  and  piety. 
The  King  and  the  Society,  encouraged  the  Oriental 
Missionary  to  proceed  in  his  translation  of  the  Scrip¬ 
tures  into  the  Tamnl  tongue,  which  they  designated 
“  the  grand  work.”  This  was  indeed  the  grand 
work  ;  for  wherever  the  Scriptures  are  translated  into 
the  vernacular  tongue,  and  are  open  and  common  to 
all,  inviting  inquiry  and  causing  discussion,  they  cannot 
remain  “  a  dead  letter.”  When  the  Scriptures  speak 


RESPECTING  THE  HINDOOS. 


41 


to  a  heathen  in  his  own  tongue,  his  conscience  res¬ 
ponds,  “  This  is  the  word  of  God.”  How  little  is  the 
importance  of  a  version  of  the  Bible  in  a  new  language 
understood  by  some  !  The  man  who  produces  a 
translation  of  the  Bible  into  a  new  language  (like 
Wickliffe,  and  Luther,  and  Ziegcnbalg,  and  Carey) 
is  a  greater  benefactor  to  mankind  than  the  Prince 
who  founds  an  Empire.  For  the  “  incorruptible  seed 
of  the  word  of  God”  can  never  die.  After  ages  have 
revolved,  it  is  still  producing  new  accessions  to  truth 
and  human  happiness. 

In  the  year  1719,  Ziegcnbalg  finished  the  Bible  in 
the  Tam ul  tongue,  having  devoted  fourteen  years  to 
the  work.  The  peculiar  interest  taken  by  the  King 
in  this  primary  endeavor  to  evangelize  the  Hindoos, 
will  appear  from  the  following  ietters,  addressed  to 
the  Missionaries  by  his  Majesty. 

George,  by  the  Grace  of  God,  King  of  Great  Britain, 
France,  and  Ireland,  Defender  of  the  Faith,  &c.  to 
the  Reverend  and  Learned  Bartholomew  Ziegenbal- 
gius  and  John  Ernest  Grundlerus,  Missionaries  at 
Tranquebar  in  the  East  Indies. 

<£  Reverend  and  Beloved, 

u  Your  letters  dated  the  20th  of  January  of  the  pre¬ 
sent  year,  were  most  welcome  to  us  ;  not  only  because 
the  work  undertaken  by  you  of  converting  the  heathen 
to  the  Christian  faith,  doth,  by  the  grace  of  God,  pros¬ 
per,  but  also  because  that,  in  this  our  kingdom,  such  a 
laudable  zeal  for  the  promotion  of  the  Gospel  prevails. 

“  We  pray  you  may  be  endued  with  health  and 
strength  of  body,  that  you  may  long  continue  to  fulfil 
your  ministry  with  good  success  ;  of  which,  as  we  shall 
be  rejoiced  to  hear,  so  you  will  always  find  us  ready  to 
succour  you  in  whatever  may  tend  to  promote  your 
work,  and  to  excite  your  zeal.  We  assure  you  of  the 
continuance  of  our  royal  favor. 

“ GEORGE  R ” 

<(  Given  at  our  Palace  of  Hampton 
Court,  the  23d  of  August,  a.  d. 

17 17,  ip.  the  4th  year  of  our  Reign.” 

d  2 


42 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES1 


The  King  continued  to  cherish,  with  much  solicitude, 
the  interests  of  the  mission,  after  the  death  of  Ziegen- 
balgius  ;  and  in  ten  years  from  the  date  of  the  foregoing 
letter,  a  second  was  addressed  to  the  members  of  the 
mission,  by  his.  Majesty. 

<£  Reverend  and  Beloved, 

“  From  your  letters  dated  Tranquebar,  the  12th  of 
September,  1725,  which  some  time  since  came  to  hand, 
we  received  much  pleasure  ;  since  by  them  we  are  in¬ 
formed  not  only  of  your  zealous  exertions  in  the  prose¬ 
cution  of  the  work  committed  to  you,  but  also  of  the 
happy  success  which  hath  hitherto  attended  it  and  which 
hath  been  graciously  given  of  God. 

“  We  return  you  thanks  for  these  accounts,  and  it  will 
be  acceptable  to  us,  if  you  continue  to  communicate 
whatever  shall  occur  in  the  progress  of  your  mission. 

“  In  the  mean  time,  we  pray  you  may  enjoy  strength 
of  body  and  mind  for  the  long  continuance  of  your  la¬ 
bors  in  this  good  work,  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  pro¬ 
motion  of  Christianity  among  the  heathens ;  that  its 
herfietuitv  may  not  fail  in  generations  to  come* 

“  GEORGE  R.” 

“  Given  at  our  Palace  at  St.  James’s, 
the  23d  of  February,  1727,  in  the 
13th  year  of  our  Reign.” 

Eut  these  Royal  Epistles  are  not  the  only  evanglic 
documents,  of  high  authority,  in  the  hands  of  the  Hin¬ 
doos.  They  are  in  possession  of  letters  written  by  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  of  the  same  reign  ;f  who  sup¬ 
ported  the  interests  of  the  mission  with  unexampled 
liberality,  affection  and  zeal.  These  letters,  which 
are  many  in  number,  are  all  written  in  the  Latin  lan¬ 
guage.  The  following  is  a  translation  of  his  Grace’s 
first  letter  ;  which  appears  to  have  been  written  by  him 
as  President  of  the  u  Society  for  promoting  Christian 
Knowledge.” 


*  Niec&mpius,  Hist.  Miss. 


f  Archbishop  Wake. 


RESPECTING  THE  HINDOOS. 


43 


<£  To  Bartholomew  Ziegenbalgius,  and  John  Ernest 

Grundlerus,  Preachers  of  the  Christian  Faith,  on  the 

Coast  of  Coromandel. 

“  As  often  as  I  behold  your  letters,  Reverend  Breth¬ 
ren,  addressed  to  the  venerable  Society  instituted  for 
the  promotion  of  the  Gospel,  whose  chief  honor  and 
ornament  ye  are  ;  and  as  often  as  I  contemplate  the 
light  of  the  Gospel,  either  now  first  rising  on  the  Indian 
nations,  or  after  the  intermission  of  some  ages  again 
revived,  and  as  it  were  restored  to  its  inheritance  ;  I 
am  constrained  to  magnify  that  singular  goodness  of 
God  in  visiting  nations  so  remote  ;  and  to  account  you, 
my  Brethren,  highly  honored,  whose  ministry  it  hath 
pleased  him  to  employ  in  this  pious  work,  to  the  glory  of 
his  name,  and  the  salvation  of  so  many  millions  of 
souls. 

“  Let  others  indulge  in  a  ministry,  if  not  idle,  cer¬ 
tainly  less  laborious,  among  Christians  at  home.  Let 
them  enjoy  in  the  bosom  of  the  Church,  titles  and 
honors,  obtained  without  labor  and  without  danger. 
Your  praise  it  will  be  (a  praise  of  endless  duration  on 
earth,  and  followed  by  a  just  recompense  in  heaven) 
to  have  labored  in  the  vineyard  which  yourselves  have 
planted  ;  to  have  declared  the  name  of  Christ,  where  it 
was  not  known  before  :  and  through  much  peril  and 
difficulty  to  have  converted  to  the  faith  those,  among 
whom  ye  afterwards  fulfilled  your  ministry.  Your 
province,  therefore,  Brethren,  your  office,  I  place  be¬ 
fore  all  dignities  in  the  Church.  Let  others  be  Pon¬ 
tiffs,  Patriarchs,  or  Popes  ;  let  them  glitter  in  purple, 
in  scarlet,  or  in  gold  ;  let  them  seek  the  admiration  of 
the  wondering  multitude,  and  receive  obeisance  on  the 
bended  knee.  Ye  have  acquired  a  better  name  than 
they,  and  a  more  sacred  fame.  And  when  that  day 
shall  arrive  when  the  chief  Shepherd  shall  give  to  every 
man  according  to  his  work,  a  greater  reward  shall  be 
adjudged  to  you.  Admitted  into  the  glorious  society 
of  the  Prophets,  Evangelists,  and  Apostles,  ye,  with 
them  shall  shine,  like  the  sun  among  the  lesser  stars, 
in  the  kingdom  of  your  Father,  for  ever. 

“  Since  then  so  great  honor  is  now  given  unto  you 


44 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


by  all  competent  judges  on  earth,  and  since  so  great 
a  reward  is  laid  up  for  you  in  heaven  ;  go  forth  with 
alacrity  to  that  work,  to  the  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath 
called  you.  God  hath  already  given  to  you  an  illus¬ 
trious  pledge  of  his  favor,  an  increase  not  to  be  ex¬ 
pected  without  the  aid  of  his  grace.  Ye  have  begun 
happily,  proceed  with  spirit.  He,  who  hath  carried 
you  safely  through  the  dangers  of  the  seas  to  such  a 
remote  country,  and  who  hath  given  you  favor  in  the 
eyes  of  those  whose  countenance  ye  most  desired  ;  he 
who  hath  so  liberally  and  unexpectedly  ministered  un¬ 
to  your  wants,  and  who  doth  now  daily  add  members 
to  your  Church  ;  he  will  continue  to  prosper  your  en¬ 
deavors,  and  will  subdue  unto  himself,  by  your  means, 
the  whole  Continent  of  Oriental  India. 

“  O  happy  men  !  who,  standing  before  the  tribunal 
of  Christ,  shall  exhibit  so  many  nations  converted  to 
his  faith  by  your  preaching  ;  happy  men !  to  whom  it 
shall  be  given  to  say  before  the  assembly  of  the  whole 
human  race,  “  Behold  us,  O  Lord,  and  the  children 
whom  thou  hast  given  us  happy  men  !  who  being 
justified  by  the  Saviour,  shali  receive  in  that  day  the 
reward  of  your  labors,  and  also  shall  hear  that  glorious 
encomium;  “Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servants, 
enter  ye  into  the  joy  of  your  Lord.” 

“  May  Almighty  God  graciously  favor  you  and  your 
labors,  in  all  things.  May  he  send  to  your  aid  fellow- 
laborers,  such  and  as  many  as  ye  wish.  May  he  in¬ 
crease  the  bounds  of  your  Churches.  May  he  open 
the  hearts  of  those  to  whom  ye  preach  the  Gospel  of 
Christ,  that  hearing  you,  they  may  receive  life-giving 
faith.  May  he  protect  you  and  yours  from  all  evils 
and  dangers.  And  when  ye  arrive,  (may  it  be  late)  at 
the  end  of  your  course,  may  the  same  God,  who  hath 
called  you  to  this  work  of  the  Gospel,  and  hath  pre¬ 
served  you  in  it,  grant  to  you  the  reward  of  your  labor, 
an  incorruptible  crown  of  glory. 

“  These  are  the  fervent  w'ishes  and  prayers  of,  ven¬ 
erable  Brethren,  your  most  faithful  fellow-servant  in 
Christ, 

“  GULIELMUS  CANT.” 

!i  From  our  palace  at  Lambeth, 

January  7,  a.  d.  17iy.” 


RESPECTING  THE  HINDOOS. 


45 


Providence  hath  been  pleased  to  grant  the  prayer  of 
the  King,  “  that  the  work  might  not  fail  in  genera¬ 
tions  to  come  and  the  prophecy  of  his  Archbishop 
is  likely  to  be  fulfilled,  that  it  should  extend  “  over  the 
whole  continent  of  Oriental  India.”  After  the  first 
Missionary  Ziegenbalg  had  finished  his  course,  he  was 
followed  by  other  learned  and  zealous  men,  upwards 
of  fifty  in  number  in  the  period  of  a  hundred  years, 
among  whom  were  Schultz,  Iaenicke,  Gericke,  and 
Swartz,  whose  ministry  has  been  continued  in  succes¬ 
sion  in  different  provinces,  unto  this  time.  The  present 
state  of  the  Mission,  will  appear  by  the  following  ex¬ 
tract  from  the  Journal  of  the  Author’s  Tour  through 
these  provinces. 


“  Tranquebar ,  25 th  August,  1806. 

“  Tranquebar  was  the  first  scene  of  the  Protestant 
Mission  in  India.  There  are  at  present  three  Mission¬ 
aries  here,  superintending  the  Hindoo  Congregations. 
Yesterday  I  visited  the  Church  built  by  Ziegenbalg. 
His  body  lies  on  one  side  of  the  altar,  and  that  of  his 
fellow  Missionary  Grundler  on  the  other.  Above 
are  the  epitaphs  of  both,  written  in  Latin,  and  engraved 
on  plates  of  brass.  The  Church  was  consecrated  in 
1718,  and  Ziegenbalg  and  his  companion  died  in  two 
years  after.  They  laid  the  foundation  for  evangelizing 
India,  and  then  departed,  ‘  having  finished  the  work, 
which  was  given  them  to  do.’  I  saw  also  the  dwelling- 
house  of  Ziegenbalg,  in  the  lower  apartment  of  which 
the  registers  of  the  Church  are  still  kept.  In  these  I 
found  the  name  of  the  first  heathen  baptized  by  him, 
and  recorded  in  his  own  hand-writing  in  the  year  1707. 
In  Ziegenbalg’s  Church,  and  from  the  pulpit  where  he 
stood,  I  first  heard  the  Gospel  preached  to  a  con¬ 
gregation  of  Hindoos,  in  their  own  tongue.  The  Mis¬ 
sionaries  told  me  that  Religion  had  suffered  much  in 
Tranquebar,  of  late  years,  from  European  Infidelity. 
French  principles  had  corrupted  the  Danes,  and  ren¬ 
dered  them  indifferent  to  their  own  religion,  and  there¬ 
fore  hostile  to  the  conversion  of  the  Hindoos.  ‘  Reli¬ 
gion,’  said  they,  flourishes  more  among  the  natives  of 
Tanjore  and  in  other  provinces  where  there  are  few 


46 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


Europeans,  than  here  or  at  Madras ;  for  we  find  that 
European  example  in  the  large  towns,  is  the  bane  of 
Christian  instruction.’  One  instance  of  hostility  to  the 
Mission  they  mentioned,  as  having  occurred  only  a  few 
weeks  before  my  arrival.  On  the  9th  of  July,  1756,  the 
native  Christians  at  Tranquebar  celebrated  a  Jubilee, 
in  commemoration  of  the  fiftieth  year  since  the  Chris¬ 
tian  ministers  brought  the  Bible  from  Europe.  The 
present  year  1806,  being  the  second  50th,  preparations 
were  made  at  Tranquebar  for-the  second  Jubilee,  on  the 
9th  of  last  month;  but  the  French  principles  prepon¬ 
derating  in  the  Government,  they  would  not  give  it  any 
public  support ;  in  consequence  of  which  it  was  not 
observed  with  that  solemnity  which  was  intended.  But 
in  other  places,  where  there  were  few  Europeans,  it 
was  celebrated  by  the  native  Christians  with  enthusiasm 
and  every  demonstration  of  joy.  When  I  expressed 
my  astonishment  at  this  hostility,  the  aged  Missionary, 
Dr.  John,  said,  4  I  have  always  remarked  that  the  dis¬ 
ciples  of  Voltaire  are  the  true  enemies  of  Missions, 
and  that  the  enemies  of  Missions  are,  in  general,  the 
disciples  of  Voltaire.’  ” 


Tanjore ,  SQht  August,  1806. 

44  On  my  entering  this  Province,  I  stopped  an  hour 
at  a  village  near  the  road  ;  and  there  I  first  heard  the 
name  of  Swartz  pronounced  by  a  Hindoo.  When  I 
arrived  at  the  capital,  I  waited  on  Major  Blackburne, 
the  British  Resident  at  the  Court  of  Tanjore,  who  in¬ 
formed  me  that  the  Rajah  had  appointed  the  next  day 
at  12  o’clock  to  receive  my  visit.  On  the  same  day  I 
went  to  Swartz’s  garden  close  to  the  Christian  village, 
where  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kohloff  resides.  Mr.  Kohloff  is 
the  worthy  successor  of  Mr.  Swartz ;  and  with  him  I 
found  the  Rev.  Dr.  John,  and  Mr.  Horst,  two  other 
Missionaries  who  were  on  a  visit  to  Mr.  Kohloff. 

44  Next  day  I  visited  the  Rajah  of  Tanjore,  in  compa¬ 
ny  with  Major  Blackburne.  When  the  first  ceremo¬ 
nial  was  over,  the  Rajah  conducted  us  to  the  grand 
saloon,  which  was  adorned  by  the  portraits  of  his  ances¬ 
tors  ;  and  immediately  led  me  up  to  the  portrait  of  Mr. 
Swartz.  lie  then  discoursed  for  a  considerable  time 


RESPECTING  THE  HINDOOS. 


4  7 


concerning  that  ‘  good  man,’  whom  he  ever  revered  as 
‘  his  father,  and  guardian.’  The  Rajah  speaks  and 
writes  English  very  intelligibly.  I  smiled  to  see 
Swartz’s  picture  amongst'  these  Hindoo  kings,  and 
thought  with  myself  that  there  are  many  who  would 
think  such  a  combination  scarcely  possible.  I  then  ad¬ 
dressed  the  Rajah,  and  thanked  him,  in  the  name  of  the 
Church  of  England,  for  his  kindness  to  the  late  Mr, 
Swartz,  and  to  his  successors,  and  particularly  for  his 
recent  acts  of  benevolence  to  the  Christians  residing 
within  his  provinces.  The  Missionaries  had  just  in¬ 
formed  me  that  the  Rajah  had  erected  ‘  a  College  for 
Hindoos,  Mahomedans,  and  Christians  ;’  in  which  pro¬ 
vision  was  made  for  the  instruction  of  ‘  fifty  Christian 
children.’  His  Highness  is  very  desirous  that  I  should 
visit  this  College,  which  is  only  about  sixteen  miles 
from  the  capital.  Having  heard  of  the  fame  of  the  an¬ 
cient  Shanscrit,  and  Mahratta  Library  of  the  kings  of 
Tanjore,  I  requested  his  Highness  would  present  a 
catalogue  of  its  volumes  to  the  College  of  Fort-Wil¬ 
liam  ;  which  he  was  pleased  to  do.  It  is  voluminous, 
and  written  in  the  Mahratta  character  ;  for  that  is  the 
proper  language  of  the  Tanjore  Court. 

“  In  the  evening  I  dined  with  the  Resident,  and  the 
Rajah  sent  his  band  of  music,  consisting  of  eight  or 
more  Vinas  with  other  instruments.  The  Vina  or  Been , 
is  the  ancient  instrument  which  Sir  William  Jones  has 
described  in  his  interesting  descant  on  the  musical 
science  of  the  Hindoos,  in  the  Asiatic  Researches,  and 
the  sight  of  which,  he  says,  he  found  it  so  difficult  to 
obtain  in  northern  India.  The  band  played  the  Eng¬ 
lish  air  of  ‘  God  save  the  King,’  set  to  Mahratta  words, 
and  applied  to  the  Maha  Rajah,  or  Great  King  of  Tan¬ 
jore.  Two  of  the  Missionaries  dined  at  the  Resident’s 
house,  together  with  some  English  officers.  Mr.  Koh- 
loff  informed  me  that  Major  Blackburne  has  promoted 
the  interests  of  the  Mission  by  every  means  in  his  power. 
Major  Blackburne  is  a  man  of  superior  attainments, 
amiable  manners,  and  a  hospitable  disposition  ;  and  is 
well  qualified  for  the  important  station  he  has  iong  held, 
as  English  Resident  at  this  Court. 

“  On  the  day  following,  I  went  to  view  the  Hindoo 


48 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


Temples,  and  saw  the  great  Black  Bull  of  Tanjorc, 
It  is  said  to  be  of  one  stone,  hewn  out  of  a  rock  of  gra¬ 
nite  ;  and  so  large  that  the  Temple  was  built  around  it. 
While  I  surveyed  it,  I  reflected  on  the  multitude  of  na¬ 
tives,  who  during  the  last  hundred  years,  had  turned 
away  their  eyes  from  this  idol.  When  I  returned,  I  sat 
some  hours  with  the  Missionaries,  conversing  on  the 
general  state  of  Christianity  in  the  provinces  of  Tan- 
jcre,  Tritchinopoly,  Madura,  and  Palamcottah.  They 
want  help.  Their  vineyard  is  increased,  and  their  la¬ 
borers  are  decreased.  They  have  had  no  supply  from 
Germany  in  the  room  of  Swartz,  Itenicke,  and  Gericke  ; 
and  they  have  no  prospect  of  further  supply,  except 
from  ‘  the  Society  for  promoting  Christian  Knowledge 
who,  they  hope,  will  be  able  to  send  out  English  Preach¬ 
ers  to  perpetuate  the  Mission.” 

“  Tanjore ,  Sept.  2,  1806. 

«  Last  Sunday  and  Monday,  were  interesting  days  to 
me,  at  Tanjore.  It  being  rumored  that  a  friend  of  the 
late  Mr.  Swartz  had  arrived,  the  people  assembled  from 
all  quarters.  On  Sunday  three  Sermons  were  preached 
in  three  different  languages.  At  eight  o’clock  we  pro¬ 
ceeded  to  the  Church  built  by  Mr.  Swartz  within  the 
Fort.  From  Mr.  Swartz’s  pulpit  I  preached  in  English 
from  Mark  xiii.  10;  ‘And  the  Gospel  must  first  be 
published  among  all  nations.’  The  English  gentlemen, 
here  attended,  civil  and  military,  with  the  Missionaries, 
Catechists,  and  British  soldiers.  After  this  service  was 
ended,  the  congregation  of  Hindoos  assembled  in  the 
same  Church,  and  filled  the  aisles  and  porches.  The 
Tamul  Service  commenced  with  some  forms  of  prayer, 
in  which  all  the  congregation  joined  with  loud  fervor. 
A  chapter  of  the  Bible  was  then  read,  and  a  hymn  of 
Luther’s  sung.  After  a  short  extempore  prayer,  during 
which  the  whole  congregation  knelt  on  the  floor,  the 
Rev.  Dr.  John  delivered  an  animated  Discourse  in  the 
Tamul  Tongue,  from  these  words,  ‘Jesus  stood  and 
cried,  saying,  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  to  me  and 
drink.’  As  Mr.  Whitefield,  on  his  first  going  to  Scot¬ 
land,  was  surprised  at  the  rustling  of  the  leaves  of  the 
Bible,  which  took  place  immediately  on  his  pronouncing 


RESPECTING  THE  HINDOOS. 


49 


his  text  (so  different  from  any  thing  he  had  seen  in  his 
own  country)  so  I  was  surprised  here  at  the  sound  of  the 
iron  pen  engraving  the  Palmyra  leaf.  Many  persons 
had  their  Ollas  in  their  hands  writing  the  Sermon  in 
Tamul  short-hand.  Mr.  Kohloff  assured  me  that  some 
of  the  elder  Students  and  Catechists  will  not  lose  a  word 
of  the  preacher  if  he  speak  deliberately.*  This,  thought 
I,  is  more  than  some  of  the  Students  at  our  English 
Universities  can  do.  This  aptitude  of  the  people  to 
record  the  words  of  the  preacher,  renders  it  peculiarly 
necessary  ‘  that  the  priests’  lips  should  keep  knowledge. 
An  old  rule  of  the  Mission  is,  that  the  Sermon  of  the 
morning  should  be  read  to  the  Schools  in  the  evening, 
by  the  Catechist,  from  his  Palmyra  leaf. 

“  Another  custom  obtains  among  them  which  pleased 
me  much.  In  the  midst  of  the  discourse  the  preacher 
sometimes  puts  a  question  to  the  congregation  ;  who 
answer  it  without  hesitation,  in  one  voice.  The  object 
is  to  keep  their  attention  awake,  and  the  minister  gene¬ 
rally  prompts  the  answer  himself.  Thus,  suppose  that 
he  is  saying,  ‘  My  dear  Brethren,  it  is  true  that  your 
profession  of  the  faith  of  Christ  is  attended  with  some 
reproach,  and  that  you  have  lost  your  cast  with  the 
Brahmins.  But  your  case  is  not  peculiar.  The  man 
of  the  world  is  the  man  of  cast  in  Europe  ;  and  he  des¬ 
pises  the  humble  and  devout  -disciple  of  Christ,  even  as 
your  Brahmin  contemns  the  Soocler.  But,  thus  it  hath 
been  from  the  beginning.  Every  faithful  Christian  must 
lose  cast  for  the  Gospel  ;  even  as  Christ  himself,  the 
Forerunner,  made  himself  of  no  reputation,  and  was 
despised  and  rejected  of  men.  In  like  manner,  you 
will  be  despised  ;  but  be  of  good  cheer,  and  say,  Though 
we  have  lost  our  cast  and  inheritance  amongst  men,  we 
shall  receive  in  heaven  a  new  name  and  a  better  inheri¬ 
tance,  through  Jesus  Chi  1st  our  Lord.’  He  then  adds, 
What,  my  beloved  Brethren,  shall  you  obtain  in  hea- 

*  It  is  well  known  that  natives  of  Tanjore  and  Travancore  can 
write  fluently  what  is  spoken  deliberately.  They  do  not  look 
much  at  their  oiias  while  writing.  The  fibre  of  the  leaf  guides 
the  pen. 

E 


30 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


ven  ?  They  answer,  c  A  new  name  and  a  better  inheri¬ 
tance,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.’  It  is  impossible 
for  a  stranger  not  to  be  affected  with  this  scene.  This 
custom  is  deduced  from  Ziegenbalg,  who  proved  its  use 
by  long  experience. 

“  After  the  Sermon  was  ended,  I  returned  with  the 
Missionaries  into  the  vestry  or  library  of  the  Church. 
Here  I  was  introduced  to  the  Elders  and  Catechists 
of  the  congregation.  Among  others  came  Sattian- 
aden,  the  Hindoo  preacher,  one  of  whose  Sermons  was 
published  in  England  some  years  ago,  by  the  Society 
for  promoting  Christian  Knowledge.  He  is  now  ad¬ 
vanced  in  years,  and  his  black  locks  have  grown  gray. 
As  I  returned  from  the  Church,  I  saw  the  Christian 
families  going  back  in  crowds  to  the  country,  and  the 
boys  looking  at  their  ollas.  What  a  contrast  thought 
I,  is  this  to  the  scene  at  Juggernaut !  Here  there  is  be¬ 
coming  dress,  humane  affections,  and  rational  discourse. 
I  see  here  no  skulls,  no  self-torture,  no  self-murder,  no 
clogs  and  vultures  tearing  human  flesh  I  Here  the 
Christian  virtues  are  found  in  exercise  by  the  feeble¬ 
minded  Hindoo,  in  a  vigor  and  purity  which  will  sur¬ 
prise  those  who  have  never  known  the  native  char¬ 
acter  but  under  the  greatest  disadvantages,  as  in  Ben¬ 
gal.  It  certainly  surprised  myself ;  and  when  I  reflect¬ 
ed  on  the  moral  conduct,  upright  dealing,  and  decorous 
manners  of  the  native  Christians  of  Tanjore,  I  found 
in  my  breast  a  new  evidence  of  the  peculiar  excellence 
and  benign  influence  of  the  Christian  Faith. 

“  At  four  o’clock  in  the  afternoon,  we  attended  Di¬ 
vine  Service  at  the  Chapel  in  the  Mission  Garden  out 
of  the  Fort.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Horst  preached  in  the 
Portuguese  Language.  The  organ  here  accompanied 
the  voice  in  singing.  I  sat  on  a  granite  stone  which 
covered  the  grave  of  Swartz.  The  epitaph  is  in  Eng¬ 
lish  verse,  written  by  the  present  Rajah,  and  signed  by 
him, 4  Serfogec.’  In  the  evening  Mr.  Kohloff  presided 
at  the  exercise  in  the  schools :  on  which  occasion  the 
Tamul  Sermon  was  repeated,  and  the  boys’  ollas  ex¬ 
amined. 

“  In  consequence  of  my  having  expressed  a  wish  to 
hear  Sattianaden  preach,  Mr.  Kohloff  had  given  notice 


RESPECTING  THE  HINDOOS. 


51 


that  there  would  be  Divine  Service  next  day,  Monday. 
Accordingly  the  Chapel  in  Swartz’s  garden  was  crowd¬ 
ed  at  an  early  hour.  Sattianaden  delivered  his  Dis¬ 
course  in  the  Tamul  Language,  with  much  natural 
eloquence,  and  with  visible  effect.  His  subject  was  the 
‘  Marvellous  Light.’  He  first  described  the  pagan  dark¬ 
ness,  then  the  light  of  Ziegenbalg,  then  the  light  of 
Swartz,  and  then  the  heavenly  light,  ‘  'when  there  shall 
be  no  more  need  of  the  light  of  the  sun,  or  of  the  moon.’ 
In  quoting  a  passage  from  Scripture,  he  desired  a  lower 
minister  to  read  it,  listening  to  it  as  to  a  record ;  and 
then  proceeded  to  the  illustration.  The  responses  by 
the  audience  were  more  frequently  called  for  than  in  the 
former  Sermon.  He  concluded  with  praying  fervently 
for  the  glory  and  prosperity  of  the  Church  of  England. 
After  the  Sermon,  I  went  up  to  Sattianaden,  and  the 
old  Christians  who  had  known  Swai'tz  came  around  us. 
They  were  anxious  to  hear  something  of  the  progress 
of  Christianity  in  the  North  of  India.  They  said  they 
had  heard  good  news  from  Bengal.  I  told  them  that 
the  news  were  good,  but  that  Bengal  was  exactly  a 
hundred  years  behind  Tanjore. 

“  I  have  had  long  conversations  with  the  Missiona¬ 
ries,  relating  to  the  present  circumstances  of  the  Tan¬ 
jore  Mission.  It  is  in  a  languishing  state  at  this  mo¬ 
ment,  in  consequence  of  the  war  on  the  Continent  of 
Europe.  Two  of  its  sources  have  dried  up,  the  Royal 
College  at  Copenhagen ,  and  the  Orphan -house  at  Halle , 
in  Germany.  Their  remaining  resources  from  Europe 
is  the  stipend  of  “  The  Society  for  promoting  Christian 
Knowledge whom  they  never  mention  but  with  emo¬ 
tions  of  gratitude  and  affection.  But  this  supply  is  by 
no  means  commensurate  with  the  increasing  number 
of  their  Churches  and  Schools.  The  chief  support  of 
the  Mission  is  derived  from  itself.  Mr.  Swartz  had  in 
his  life  time  acquired  a  considerable  property,  through 
the  kindness  of  the  English  Government  and  of  the 
Native  Princes.  When  he  -was  dying,  he  said,  “  Let 
the  cause  of  Christ  be  my  heir.”  When  his  colleague, 
the  pious  Gericke,  was  departing,  he  also  bequeathed 
his  property  to  the  Mission.  And  now  Mr.  Kohloff 
gives  from  his  private  funds  an  annual  sum ;  not  that 


52 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


lie  can  well  afford  it ;  but  the  Mission  is  so  extended, 
that  he  gives  it,  he  told  me,  to  preserve  the  new  and  re¬ 
mote  congregations  in  existence.  He  stated  that  there 
were  upwards  of  ten  thousand  Protestant  Christians  be¬ 
longing  to  the  Tanjore  and  Tinavelly  districts  alone,  who 
had  not  among  them  one  complete  copy  of  the  Bible  ; 
and  that  not  one  Christian  perhaps  in  a  hundred,  had  a 
New  Testament;  and  yet  there  are  some  copies  of  the 
Tamul  Scriptures  still  to  be  sold  at  Tranquebar:  but 
the  poor  natives  cannot  afford  to  purchase  them.  When 
I  mentioned  the  designs  of  the  Bible  Society  in  Eng¬ 
land,  they  received  the  tidings  with  very  sensible  emo¬ 
tions  of  thankfulness.  Mr.  Horst  said,  If  only  every 
tenth  person  were  to  obtain  a  copy  of  the  Scriptures, 
it  would  be  an  event  long  to  be  remembered  in  Tan¬ 
jore.  They  lamented  much  that  they  were  destitute  of 
the  aid  of  a  printing-press,  and  represented  to  me  that 
the  progress  of  Christianity  had  been  materially  retarded 
of  late  years  by  the  want  of  that  important  auxiliary. 
They  have  petitioned  the  Society  for  promoting  Chris¬ 
tian  Knowledge  to  send  them  one.  They  justly  ob¬ 
served,  If  you  can  no  longer  send  us  Missionaries  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  send  us  the  means  of  printing  the 
Gospel.*  The  Tranquebar  Mission  and  the  Madras 
Mission  have  both  possessed  printing-presses  for  along 
period ;  by  the  means  of  which  they  have  been  exten¬ 
sively  useful  in  distributing  the  Scriptures  and  religious 
publications  in  several  languages.  The  Mission  Press 
at  Tranquebar  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  fountain 
of  all  the  good  that  was  done  in  India  during  the  last 
century.  It  was  established  by  Zicgenbalg.  From 
this  press,  in  conjunction  with  that  at  Halle  in  Germa¬ 
ny,  have  proceeded  volumes  in  Arabic,  Syriac,  Hindos- 
tanee,  Tamul,  Telinga,  Portuguese,  Danish,  and  Eng- 

*■  The  Brahmins  in  Tanjore  have  procured  a  press,  “  which 
they  dedicate  (say  the  Missionaries  in  their  last  letter)  to  the  glo¬ 
ry  of  their  gods  but  the  Missionaries,  who  first  introduced 
the  civilization  of  Christianity  at  the  Tanjore  capital,  are  still 
without  one.  Printing  is  certainly  the  legitimate  instrument  of 
the  Christian  for  the  promulgation  of  Christianity.  We  Protest¬ 
ants  have  put  it  into  the  hands  of  the  Brahmins,  and  we  ought  to 
see  to  it,  that  the  teachers  of  our  own  religion  are  possessed  of 
an  ecgial  advantage. 


RESPECTING  THE  HINDOOS. 


53 


lish.  I  have  in  my  possession  the  Psalms  of  David  in 
the  Hindostanee  Language,  printed  in  the  Arabic  char¬ 
acter ;  and  the  History  of  Christ  in  Syriac ,  intended 
probably  for  thd  Syro-Romish  Christians  on  the  sea- 
coast  of  Travancore,  whom  a  Danish  Missionary  once 
visited,  both  of  which  volumes  were  edited  by  the  Mis¬ 
sionaries  of  Tranquebar.  There  is  also  in  Swartz’s 
Library  at  Tanjore,  a  Grammar  of  the  Hindostanee 
Language  in  quarto,  published  at  the  same  press  ;  an 
important  fact  which  was  not  known  at  the  College  of 
Fort-William,  when  Professor  Gilchrist  commenced 
his  useful  labors  in  that  language.” 

Tanjore ,  Sept.  3,  1806. 

“  Before  I  left  the  capital  of  Tanjore,  the  Rajah  was 
pleased  to  honor  me  with  a  second  audience.  On  this 
occasion  he  presented  to  me  a  portrait  of  himself,  a  very 
striking  likeness,  painted  by  a  Hindoo  artist  at  the  Tan¬ 
jore  Court.*  The  Missionary,  Dr.  John,  accompanied 
me  to  the  palace.  The  Rajah  received  him  with  much 
kindness,  and  presented  to  him  a  piece  of  gold  cloth. 
Of  the  resident  Missionary  Mr.  Kohloff,  whom  the 
Rajah  sees  frequently,  he  spoke  to  me  in  terms  of  high 
approbation.  This  cannot  be  very  agreeable  to  the 
Brahmins  ;  but  the  Rajah,  though  he  yet  professes  the 
Brahminical  religion,  is  no  longer  obedient  to  the  dic¬ 
tates  of  the  Brahmins,  and  they  are  compelled  to  admit 
his  superior  attainments  in  knowledge.  I  passed  the 
chief  part  of  this  morning  in  looking  over  Mr.  Swartz’s 
manuscripts  and  books:  and  when  1  was  comi  g  away 
Mr.  Kohloff  presented  tome  a  Hebrew  Psalter,'  v hich 
had  been  Mr.  Swartz’s  companion  for  fifty  years  ';  also 
a  brass  lamp  which  he  had  got  first  when  a  Student  at 
the  College  of  Halle,  and  had  used  in  his  lucubrations 
to  the  time  of  his  death  ;  for  Mr.  Swartz  seldom  Jir cach¬ 
ed  to  the  natives  without  previous  study.  I  thought  I 
saw  the  image  of  Swartz  in  his  successor.  Mr.  Koh¬ 
loff  is  a  man  of  great  simplicity  of  manners,  of  meek 
deportment,  and  of  ardent  zeai  in  the  cause  of  revealed 

*  It  is  now  placed  in  the  Public  Library  of  the  University  of 
Cambridge. 


54 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


Religion,  and  of  humanity.  He  walked  with  me  through 
the  Christian  village  close  to  his  house  ;  and  I  was 
much  pleased  to  see  the  affectionate  respect  of  the  peo¬ 
ple  towards  him ;  the  young  people  of  both  sexes  com¬ 
ing  forward  from  the  doors  on  both  sides,  to  salute 
him  and  receive  his  benediction.”* 

“  September  4th ,  1806. 

“  Leaving  Tanjore,  I  passed  through  the  woods  in¬ 
habited  by  the  Collaries  (or  thieves)  now  humanized 
by  Christianity.  When  they  understood  who  I  was, 
they  followed  me  on  the  road,  stating  their  destitute 
condition,  in  regard  to  religious  instruction.  They 
were  clamorous  for  Bibles.  They  supplicated  for  teach- 

*  That  I  may  give  to  those  who  are  interested  in  the  promotion 
of  Christianity  in  the  East,  a  more  just  view  of  the  character  of 
Swartz’s  successor,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kohloff,  I  shall  subjoin  an  Ex¬ 
tract  of  a  Letter  which  I  have  since  received  from  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Horst. 

“  Tanjore •,  Sept.  24,  1807. 

“  The  Rev.  Mr.  Kohloff  is  sometimes  rather  weak,  on  account 
of  so  many  and  various  cares  that  assail  him  without  ceasing1.  He 
provides  for  the  wants  of  this  and  the  Southern  Missions,  (Tritch- 
Inopoly  excepted)  by  disbursing  annually  upwards  of  one  thou¬ 
sand  pagodas  (about  <£.250  sterling)  but  of  his  private  purse, 
partly  to' make  up  the  difference  between  the  income  and  expend¬ 
iture  of  this  and  the  Southern  Mission  (of  which  1  annex  an  Ab¬ 
stract)  and  the  rest  in  assisting  the  deserving  poor, without  regard 
to  religion;  and  for  various  pious  uses.  To  him,  as  Arbitrator  and 
Father,  apply  all  Christians  that  are  at  variance,  disturbed  from 
without  or  from  within,  out  of  service  or  distressed  ;  for  most  of 
our  Christians  will  do  any  tiling  rather  than  go  to  lawn 

“  All  these  heterogeneous,  but,  to  a  Missionary  at  Tanjore, 
unavoidable  avocations,  joined  to  the  ordinary  duties  of  his  sta¬ 
tion,  exercise  his  mind  early  and  late  ;  and  if  he  is  not  of  a  robust 
constitution,  will  undermine  his  health  at  last.  Happily,  several 
neighbouring  Churches  and  new  congregations,  belonging  to  the 
Mission  of  Tanjore,  afford  Mr.  Kohloff  frequent  opportunities  to 
relax  his  mind,  and  to  recruit  his  health  and  spirits,  by  making 
occasional  short  excursions  to  see  these  new  Christians,  ivho  -were 
professed  thieves  only  a  few  years  ago ,  and  many  of  them  are  now 
an  honor  to  the  Christian  profession,  and  industrious  peasants  It  is 
pleasing  to  behold  the  anxiety  with  which  a  great  number  of  our 
Christian  children  inquire  at  such  times  when  their  father  will  re¬ 
turn;  and  how  they  run  several  miles  to  meet' him  with  shouts 
and  clapping  of  hands,  and  hymns  of  thanks  to  God,  as  soon  as 
they  discern  lus  palankeen  at  a  distance.” 


RESPECTING-  THE  HINDOOS. 


53 


ers.  1  We  don’t  want  bread  or  money  from  you,  said 
they;  but  we  want  the  word  of  God.’  Now,  thought 
I,  whose  duty  is  it  to  attend  to  the  moral  wants  of  this 
people  ?  Is  it  that  of  the  English  nation,  or  of  some 
other  nation  ?” 


“  Trite hinofioly ,  September  5th. 

“  The  first  Church  built  by  Swartz  is  at  this  place. 
It  is  called  Christ’s  Church,  and  is  a  large  building, 
capable  of  containing  perhaps  two  hundred  people.* 
The  aged  Missionary,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pohle,  presides 
over  this  Church,  and  over  the  native  congregations  at 
this  place.  Christianity  flourishes ;  but  I  found  that 
here,  as  at  other  places,  there  is  a  ‘  famine  of  Bibles.’ 
The  Jubilee  was  celebrated  on  the  9th  of  July,  being 
the  hundredth  year  from  the  arrival  of  the  messengers 
of  the  Gospel.  On  this  occasion  their  venerable  Pastor 
preached  from  Matt,  xxviii,  19  ;  <  Go  ye  therefore,  and 
teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.’  At 
this  station,  there  are  about  a  thousand  English  troops. 
Mr.  Pehle  being  a  German,  does  not  speak  English 
very  well ;  but  he  is  reverenced  for  his  piety  by  the 
English  ;  and  both  officers  and  men  are  glad  to  hear 
the  religion  of  their  country  preached  in  any  way.  On 
the  Sunday  morning,  I  preached  in  Christ’s  Church  to 
a  full  assembly,  from  these  words,  ‘  For  we  have  seen 
his  Star  in  the  East,  and  are  come  to  worship  him.’ 
Indeed  what  I  had  seen  in  these  provinces  rendered 
this  text  the  most  appropriate  I  could  select.  Next 
day  some  of  the  English  soldiers  came  to  me,  desiring 
to  know  how  they  might  procure  Bibles.  ‘  It  is  a  de¬ 
lightful  thing,  said  one  of  them,  to  hear  our  own  reli¬ 
gion  preached  by  our  own  countryman.’  I  am  informed 
that  there  are  at  this  time  above  twenty  English  regi¬ 
ments  in  India,  and  that  not  one  of  them  has  a  chaplain. 
The  men  live  without  religion,  and  then  they  bury  each 
other.  O  England,  England,  it  is  not  for  thine  own 
goodness  that  Providence  giveth  thee  the  treasures  of' 
India ! 

*  Probably  an  error  of  the  Press  for  2000.  .timer.  Ed. 


56 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


“  I  proceed  hence  to  visit  the  Christian  Churches  in 
the  provinces  of  Madura,  and  Tinavelly.” 

The  friends  of  Christianity  in  India  have  had  it  in 
their  power  to  afford  some  aid  to  the  Christian 
Churches  in  Tanjore.  On  the  1st  of  January  of  the 
present  year  (1810,)  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brown  preached  a 
Sermon  at  Calcutta,  in  which  he  represented  the  peti¬ 
tion  of  the  Hindoos  for  Bibles.  A  plain  statement  of 
the  fact  was  sufficient  to  open  the  hearts  of  the  public. 
A  subscription  was  immediately  set  on  foot,  and  Lieut. 
General  Hewitt,  Commander  in  Chief,  then  Deputy 
Governor  in  Bengal,  subscribed  ,£.250.  The  chief 
officers  of  government,  and  the  principal  inhabitants 
of  Calcutta,  raised  the  subscription,  in  a  few  days,  to 
the  sum  of  £.  1000  sterling.  Instructions  were  sent  to 
Mr.  Kohloff,  to  buy  up  all  the  copies  of  the  Tamul 
Scriptures  ;  to  distribute  them  at  a  small  price  amongst 
the  natives,  and  to  order  a  new  edition  to  be  printed 
off  without  loss  of  time.* 

VERSIONS  OF  THE  SCRIPTURES  FOR  THE 

HINDOOS. 

Having  now  seen  what  the  Hindoos  are  in  their  state 
of  idolatry,  as  at  Juggernaut,  and  in  Bengal ;  and  what 
they  may  become  under  the  influence  of  Christianity, 
as  at  Tranquebar,  Tritchinopoiy,  and  Tanjore;  it  re¬ 
mains,  to  give  some  account  of  the  translation  of  the 
Scriptures  into  the  languages  of  the  Hindoos. 

There  are  five  principal  languages  spoken  by  Hin¬ 
doos  in  countries  subject  to  the  British  Empire.  These 

*  The  chief  names  in  this  subscription,  besides  that  of  Gene- 
ral  Hewitt,  were  Sir  John  Royds,  Sir  W.  Borroughs,  John  Lums- 
den,  Esq.  George  Udney,  Esq.  J.  H.  Harrington,  Esq.  Sir  John 
D’Oyley,  Colonel  Carey,  John  Thornhill,  Esq.  R.  C.  Elowden, 
Esq.  Tho’s  Hayes,  Esq.  W.  Egerton,  Esq.  &.c.  &c. 

Thus,  while  we  are  disputing  in  England  whether  the  Eible 
ought  to  be  given  to  the  Hindoos,  the  Deputy  Governor  in  Bengal, 
the  Members  of  the  Supreme  Council,. and  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Judicature,  and  the  chief  officers  of  the  Government,  after  pe¬ 
rusing  the  information  concerning  the  state  of  India  sent  from 
this  country,  are  satisfied  that  it  is  an  important  duty,  and  a 
Christian  o',  ligation. 


57 


■  / 

RESPECTING  THE  HINDOOS. 

are,  the  Hindostance ,  which  pervades  Hindostan  gen¬ 
erally  ;  and  the  four  languages  of  the  four  great  prov¬ 
inces,  viz.  the  Bengalee ,  for  the  province  of  Bengal  ; 
the  Telinga ,  for  the  Northern  Sircars  ;  the  Tamul,  for 
Coromandel,  and  the  Carnatic  ;  and  the  Malay alim , 
or  Malabar ,  for  the  coast  of  Malabar  and  Travancorc. 

Of  these  five  languages,  there  are  two,  into  which 
the  Scriptures  are  already  translated  ;  the  Tamul ,  by 
the  Danish  Missionaries  in  the  last  century  ;  and  the 
Bengalee ,  by  the  Baptist  Missionaries  from  England. 
The  remaining  three  languages  are  in  progress  of  trans¬ 
lation  ;  the  Hindostance,  by  the  Rev.  Henry  Martin, 
B.  A.  Chaplain  in  Bengal  ;*  the  Malabar,  by  Mar 
Dionysius,  Bishop  of  the  Syrian  Christians  in  Travan- 
core  ;  both  of  which  translations  will  be  noticed  more 
particularly  hereafter ;  and  the  Telinga,  by  Ananda 
Rayer,  a  Telinga  Brahmin,  by  birth  a  Mahratta,  under 
the  superintendance  of  Mr.  Augustus  Dcsgranges  at 
Vizagapatam,  a  Missionary  belonging  to  the  London 
Society. 

Ananda  Rayer,  a  Brahmin  of  high  cast,  was  lately 
converted  to  the  Christian  faith,  and  has  given  un¬ 
doubted  proofs  of  the  serious  impression  of  its  princi¬ 
ples  on  his  heart. t  It  is  remarkable  that  versions  of 

*  It  was  before  mentioned  that  the  Gospels  were  translated  into 
Bhidostanee,  and  part  of  them  printed  in  the  College  of  Fort -Wil¬ 
liam.  Another  version  has  since  been  published  by  the  Baptist 
Missionaries.  The  Hindostanee  being  spoken  over  such  exten¬ 
sive  regions,  varies  much  in  its  dialects. 

f  The  account  of  Ananda  Rayer’s  conversion  is  given  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.  John,  the  aged  Missionary  at  Tranquebar,  in  a  letter  to 
Mr.  Desgranges.  This  Brahmin  applied  (as  many  Brahmins  and 
otb.er  Hindoos  constantly  do)  to  an  older  Brahmin  of  some  fame 
for  sanctity,  to  know  “  what  he  should  do  that  he  might  be  sav¬ 
ed  ?”  The  old  Brahmin  told  him,  that  “  he  must  repeat  a  certain 
prayer  four  lack  of  times:”  that  is,  400,000  times.  This  he  per¬ 
formed  in  a  Pagoda,  in  six  months  ;  and  added  many  painful  cer¬ 
emonies.  But  finding  no  comfort  or  pea.ee  from  these  external 
rites,  he  went  to  a  Romish  Priest,  and  asked  him  if  he  knew  what 
was  the  true  religion  ?  The  Priest  gave  him  some  Christian  books 
it-  the  Telinga  language;  and,  after  a  long  investigation  of  Chris¬ 
tianity,  the  inquiring  Hindoo  had  no  doubt  remaining  on  his  mind, 
that  “  Christ  was  the  Saviour  of  the  world.”  But  he  was  not  sa¬ 
tisfied  with  the  Romish  worship  in  many  points  :  he  disliked  the 
adoration  of  images,  and  other  superstitions :  and  having  heard 


53 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


the  Scriptures  should  be  now  preparing  for  the  Ma- 
homedans  and  Hindoos,  by  their  own  converted  coun¬ 
trymen  ;  namely,  the  Persian  and  Arabic  versions,  by 
Sab  at  the  Arabian  ;  and  the  Telinga  version  by  Anan- 
ba  Rayer,  the  Telinga  Brahmin.  The  latter  has 
translated  the  four  Gospels,  and  the  Acts  of  the  Apos¬ 
tles.  The  progress  of  Sabat  in  his  translations  will  be 
noticed  hereafter. 

THE  CEYLONESE. 

In  the  island  of  Ceylon,  the  population  under  the  Brit¬ 
ish  Government  amounts,  according  to  the  best  author¬ 
ities,  to  upwards  of  a  miiiion  and  a  half;  and  one-third 
is  supposed  to  profess  Christianity.  This  population 
was  divided  by  the  Dutch,  while  they  hard  possession 
of  the  island,  into  24©  church-ships,  and  three  native 
schoolmasters  were  appointed  to  each  church-ship. 
The  Dutch  government  never  gave  an  official  appoint¬ 
ment  to  any  native  who  was  not  a  Christian  ;  a  distinc¬ 
tion  which  Was  ever  considered  bv  them  as  a  -wise 

J 

policy,  as  well  as  a  Christian  duty,  and  which  is  con¬ 
tinued  by  his  Majesty’s  Government  in  Ceylon.  Per¬ 
haps  it  is  not  generally  known  in  England  that  our 

from  the  Priests  themselves,  that  the  Protestant  Christians  at 
Tanjore  and  Tranquebar,  professed  to  have  a  purer  faith,  and  had 
got  the  Bible  translated,  and  worshipped  no  images ;  he  visited 
Dr.  John,  and  the  other  Missionaries  at  Tranquebar,  where  he 
remained  four  months,  conversing,  says  Dr.  John,  “  almost  every¬ 
day  with  me,”  and  examining-  the  Holy  Scriptures.  He  soon  ac¬ 
quired  the  Tamul  Language  (which  has  affinity  with  the  Telinga) 
that  he  might  read  the  Tamul  translation  ;  and  he  finally  became 
a  member  of  the  Protestant  Church. 

The  Missionaries  at  Vizagapatam  being  in  want  of  a  learned 
Telinga  scholar,  to  assist  them  in  a  translation  of  the  Scriptures 
into  the  Telinga  language.  Dr.  John  recommended  Ananda  Rayer ; 
“  for  he  was  averse,  says  he,  to  undertake  any  worldly  employ¬ 
ment,  and  had  a  great  desire  to  be  useful  to  his  brethren  of  the 
Telinga  nation.”  The  reverend  Missionary  concludes  thus : 

What  Jesus  Christ  hath  required  of  his  followers,  this  man  hath 
literally  done  ;  lie  hath  left,  father,  mother,  sisters,  and  brothers, 
and  houses,  and  lands,  for  the  Gospel’s  sake.” 

See  Dr.  John’s  Letter,  dated  29th  January,  1808,  communica¬ 
ted  to  the  Bible  Society,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Brown. 


RESPECTING  THE  CEYLONESE. 


50 


Bengal  and  Madras  Governments  do  not  patronize  the 
native  Christians.  They  give  official  appointments 
to  Mahomedans  and  Hindoos  generally  in  preference 
to  natives  professing  Christianity.  The  chief  argu¬ 
ment  for  the  retention  of  this  system  is  precedent.  It 
was  the  practice  of  the  first  settlers.  But  it  has  been 
often  observed  that  what  might  be  proper  or  necessary- 
in  a  factor y,  may  not  be  tolerable  in  a  great  Empire. 
It  is  certain  that  this  system  confirms  prejudice,  ex¬ 
poses  our  religion  to  contempt  in  the  eyes  of  the  na¬ 
tives,  and  precludes  every  ray  of  hope  of  the  future 
prevalence  of  Christianity  at  the  seats  of  Government. 

cc  Jaffna  fat  am,  in  Ceylon ,  Sept.  27,  1806. 

“  From  the  Hindoo  Temple  of  Ramisseram,  I  cros¬ 
sed  over  to  Ceylon,  keeping  close  to  Adam’s  bridge. 
I  was  surprised  to  find  that  all  the  boatmen  were  Chris¬ 
tians  of  Ceylon.  I  asked  the  helmsman  what  religion 
the  English  professed,  who  now  governed  the  island, 
lie  said  he  could  not  tell,  only  that  they  were  not  of 
the  Portuguese  or  Dutch  religion.  I  was  not  so  much 
surprised  at  his  ignorance  afterwards,  as  I  was  at  the 
time. 

“  I  have  had  the  pleasure  to  meet  here  with  Alexan¬ 
der  Johnstone,  Esq.*  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Judica¬ 
ture,  who  is  on  the  circuit ;  a  man  of  large  and  liberal 
views,  the  friend  of  learning,  and  of  Christianity.  He 
is  well  acquainted  with  the  language  of  the  country,  and 
with  the  history  of  the  island  ;  and  his  professional  pur¬ 
suits  afford  him  a  particular  knowledge  of  its  present 
state  ;  so  that  his  communications  are  truly  valuable. 
It  will  be  scarcely  believed  in  England,  that  there  are 
here  Protestant  Churches  under  the  King’s  government, 
Avhich  are  without  ministers.  In  the  time  of  Baldjeus, 
the  Dutch  preacher  and  historian,  there  were  thirty - 
two  Christian  Churches  in  the  province  of  Jaffna  alone. 
At  this  time  there  is  net  one  Protestant  European  Min- 
isterin  the  whole  province.  I  oughtto  except  Mr.Palm, 
a  solitary  Missionary,  who  has  been  sent  out  by  the 
London  Society,  and  receives  some  stipend  from  the 

*'  Now  Sir  Alexander  Johnstone,  Chief- Justice  of  Ceylon. 


'60 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


British  Government.  I  visited  Mr.  Palm,  at  his  resi¬ 
dence  a  few  miles  from  the  town  of  Jaffna.  He  is  pro¬ 
secuting  the  study  of  the  Tamnl  Language  ;  for  that  is 
the  language  of  this  part  of  Ceylon,  from  its  proximity 
to  the  Tamul  Continent.  Mrs.  Palm  has  made  as  great 
progress  in  the  language  as  her  husband,  and  is  extreme¬ 
ly  active  in  the  instruction  of  the  native  women  and 
children.  I  asked  her  if  she  had  no  wish  to  return  to 
Europe,  after  living  so  long  among  the  uncivilized 
Cingalese.  No,  she  said  ;  she  was  4  all  the  day  long 
happy  in  the  communication  of  knowledge.’  Mr.  Palm, 
has  taken  possession  of  the  old  Protestant  Church  of 
Tilly-Pally.  By  reference  to  the  history,  I  found  it 
was  the  Church  in  which  Baldseus  himself  preached 
(as  he  himself  mentions)  to  a  congregation  of  two  thou¬ 
sand  natives  ;  for  a  view  of  the  Church  is  given  in  his 
work.  Most  of  those  handsome  Churches,  of  which 
views  are  given  in  the  plates  of  Baldseus’s  history,  are 
now  in  ruins.  Even  in  the  town  and  fort  of  Jaffna, 
where  there  is  a  spacious  edifice  for  Divine  Worship, 
and  a  respectable  society  of  English  and  Dutch  inhabi¬ 
tants,  no  Clergyman  has  been  yet  appointed.  The  only 
Protestant  preacher  in  the  town  of  Jaffna  is  Christian 
David ,  a  Hindoo  Catechist  sent  overby  the  Mission  of 
Tranquebar.  His  chief  ministrations  are  in  the  Tamul 
Tongue  ;  but  he  sometimes  preaches  in  the  English 
Language,  which  he  speaks  with  tolerable  propriety; 
and  the  Dutch  and  English  resort  to  hear  him.  I  went 
with  the  rest  to  his  Church  ;  when  he  delivered  extem¬ 
pore  a  very  excellent  Discourse,  which  his  present 
Majesty  George  the  Third  would  not  have  disdained  to 
hear.  And  this  Hindoo  supports  the  interests  of  the 
English  Churchin  the  province  of  Jaffna.  The  Dutch 
ministers  who  formerly  officiated  here,  have  gone  to 
Batavia  or  to  Europe.  The  whole  district  is  now  in 
the  hands  of  the  Romish  priests  from  the  College  of 
Goa ;  who  perceiving  the  indifference  ot  the  English 
nation  to  their  own  religion,  have  assumed  quiet  and 
undisturbed  possession  of  the  land.  And  the  English 
Government  justly  preferring  the  Romish  superstition 
to  the  worship  of  the  idol  Boodha ,  thinks  it  right  to 
countenance  the  Catholic  Religion  in  Ceylon.  But 


RESPECTING  THE  CEYLONESE.  bi 

whenever  our  Church  shall  direct  her  attention  to  the 
promotion  of  Christianity  in  the  East,  I  know  of  no 
place  which  is  more  worthy  of  her  labor,  than  the  old 
Protestant  Vineyard  of  Jalfna  Patem.  1  he  Scriptures 
are  already  prepared  in  the  Tamul  Language.  The 
language  of  the  rest  of  Ceylon  is  the  Cingalese ,  or  Cey¬ 
lonese’ * 

«  Columbo ,  in  Ceylon ,  10 th  March ,  1808. 

<( _ I  find  that  the  south  part  of  the  island  is  in  much 

the  same  state  as  the  north,  in  regard  to  Christian  in¬ 
struction.  There  are  but  two  English  Cleigyincn  in 
the  whole  island.  4  What  wonder5  (said  a  Romish  priest 
to  me)  4  that  your  nation  should  be  so  little  interested 
about  the  conversion  of  the  Pagans  to  Christianity,  when 
it  does  not  even  give  teachers  to  its  own  subjects  who 
are  already  Christians  ?  I  was  not  surprised  to  hear 
that  great  numbers  of  the  Protestants  every  year  go 
back  to  idolatry.  Being  destitute  of  a  Head  to  take 
cognizance  of  their  state,  they  apostatize  to  Boodha ,  as 
the  Israelites  turned  to  Baal  and  Ashteroth.  It  is  per¬ 
haps  true  that  the  religion  of  Christ  has  never  been  so 
disgraced  in  any  age  of  the  Church,  as  it  has  been  late¬ 
ly,  by  our  official  neglect  of  the  Protestant  Church  in 

Ceylon.  .  . 

“  I  passed  the  day  at  Mount  Lavinia,  the  country 
residence  of  Ceneral  Maitland,  the  Governor  of  Cey¬ 
lon  ;  and  had  some  conversation  with  his  Excellency 
on  the  religious  state  of  the  country.  He  _  desired 
I  would  commit  to  writing,  and  leave  with  him  a 
memorandum  of  inquiries  which  I  wished  should  be 
made  on  subjects  relating  to  the  former  prevalence  of 
the  Protestant  Religion  in  the  island,  and  the  means  of 
reviving  and  establishing  it  once  more,  His  Excel¬ 
lency  expressed  his  conviction  that  some  Ecclesiastical 
Establishment  ought  to  be  given  to  Ceylon  ;  as  had 
been  given  to  other  Colonies  of  His  Majesty  in  America 
and  the  West  Indies.  He  asked  what  was  the  cause 
of  the  delay  in  giving  an  Ecclesiastical  Establishment 
to  the  Continent  of  India.  I  told  him  I  supposed  the 
chief  cause  was  the  mixed  government  of  our  Indian 

F 


62 


•CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


Empire.  It  was  said  to  be  a  question  at  home,  who 
ought  to  originate  it.  Had  there  been  no  revolution 
in  Europe  to  distract  the  attention  of  the  nation,  and 
had  Mr.  Pitt  lived,  many  things  of  a  grand  and  arduous 
character  would  have  been  done  which  are  yet  left  un¬ 
done.  There  are  now  three  Missionaries  of  the  Lon¬ 
don  Society  established  in  three  different  parts  of  the 
island.  It  gave  me  great  pleasure  to  find  that  General 
Maitland,  and  the  senior  Chaplain  at  Columbo,  the 
Honorable  Mr.  Twisleton,  had  afforded  their  patronage 
in  the  most  liberal  manner  to  these  useful  teachers. 
Government  has  allowed  to  each  of  them  an  annual 
stipend.  In  returning  from  the  country  I  passed 
through  the  groves  of  Cinnamon,  which  extend  near¬ 
ly  a  mile  in  length.  Ceylon  is  believed  by  some  of  the 
Easterns,  both  Mahomedans  and  Hindoos,  to  have 
been  the  residence  of  the  first  man  (for  the  Hindoos 
have  a'  First  Man,  and  a  Garden  of  Eden,  as  well  as 
the  Christians)  ;  because  it  abounds  in  “  Trees  pleasant 
to  the  eyes,  and  good  for  food  and  is  famous  for  its 
rare  metals  and  precious  stones.  “  There  is  gold, 
bdellium,  and  the  onyx-stone.”  The  rocky  ridge 
which  connects  this  happy  island  with  the  main  land, 
is  called  Adam’s  Bridge  ;  the  lofty  mountain  in  the 
middle  of  the  island  every  where  visible,  is  called 
Adam’s  Peak  :  and  there  is  a  sepulchre  of  immense 
length,  which  they  call  Abel’s  Tomb.  All  these  names 
were  given  many  ages  before  the  introduction  of  Chris¬ 
tianity  from  Europe.  The  Cinnamon  trees  love  a 
sandy  soil.  The  surface  of  the  ground  appeared  to  be 
entirely  sand.  I  thought  it  wonderful  that  the  most 
valuable  of  all  trees  should  grow  in  luxuriance  in  such 
an  arid  soil  without  human  culture.  I  compared  them 
in  my  mind  to  the  Ceylon  Christians  in  their  present 
state,  who  are  left  to  flourish  by  themselves  under  the 
blessing  of  heaven,  without  those  external  and  ration¬ 
al  aids  which  have  been  divinely  appointed  to  nourish 
the  Church  of  Christ.” 


Columbo ,  11  th  March ,  1808. 

“  I  have  conversed  with  intelligent  persons  on  the 
means  of  translating  the  Scriptures  into  the  Cingalese 


RESPECTING  THE  JIALAYS. 


Language.  The  whole  cf  the  New  Testament  has 
been  translated,  but  only  three  books  of  the  Old 
Testament.  But  even  this  portion  has  been  translated 
almost  in  vain  :  for  there  is  no  supply  of  books  for  the 
use  of  the  people.  I  reflected  with  astonishment  on 
the  fact,  that  there  arc  by  computation  500,000  na¬ 
tives  in  Ceylon  professing  Christianity,  and  that  there 
should  not  be  one  complete  copy  of  the  Holy  Scrip¬ 
tures  in  the  vernacular  tongue.  Samuel  Tolfry,  Esq. 
head  of  a  civil  department  in  Colombo,  is  a  good 
Cingalese  scholar,  and  is  now  engaged  in  compiling  a 
Cingalese  Dictionary.  I  proposed  to  him  to  undertake 
the  completion  of  the  Cingalese  Version;  which  is 
easily  practicable,  as  there  are  many  learned  Cingalese 
Christians  in  Columbo.  He  professed  himself  ready 


to  engage  in  the  work,  provided  he  should  receive  the 
sanction  of  the  government.  I  mentioned  to  him  what 
had  passed  in  my  conversation  with  General  Maitland* 
and  his  Excellency’s  favorable  sentiments  on  the  sub¬ 


ject  ;  and  added  that  a  correspondence  would  be  im¬ 
mediately  commenced  with  him  from  Calcutta  con¬ 
cerning  the  work,  and  funds  apportioned  for  the  execu¬ 
tion  of  it.  Alexander  Johnstone,  Esq.  who  is  now  in 
Columbo,  has  furnished  me  with  his  sentiments  on  the 
best  means  of  reviving  and  maintaining  the  Protestant 
interest  in  Ceylon.  Did  his  professional  avocations 
permit,  Mr.  Johnstone  is  himself  the  fit  person  to  su¬ 
perintend  the  translation  and  printing  of  the  Scriptures. 
It  is  a  proof  of  the  interest  which  this  gentleman  takes 
in  the  progress  of  Christian  knowledge,  that  he  hath 
caused  Bishop  Porteus’s  Evidences  of  Christianity  to 
be  translated  into  the  Cingalese  tongue,  for  distribution 
among  the  natives.” 

THE  MALAYS. 

A  new  empire  has  been  added  to  Great  Britain  in  the 
East,  which  may  be  called  her  Maylay  Empire.  The 
extensive  dominion  of  the  Dutch  in  the  Indian  Ocean, 
is  devolving  upon  the  English  ;  and  it  may  be  expect¬ 
ed  that  Britain  will  soon  be  mistress  of  the  whole  of 
the  Maylay  an  Archipelago.  But  as  we  increase 


64 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


our  territories,  we  increase  our  obligations.  Our  du¬ 
ties  to  our  Hindoo  Empire  have  been  long  enough  the 
subject  of  discussion  :  let  us  now  turn  our  attention  to 
the  obligations  which  we  owe  to  our  Maylay  Empire. 
We  are  now  about  to  take  possession  of  islands, 
peopled  by  numbers  of  Protestant  Christians.  For  in 
every  island  where  the  Dutch  established  their  govern¬ 
ment,  they  endeavored  to  convert  the  natives  to  Chris¬ 
tianity,  and  they  were  successful.  Those  amongst  us 
who  would  recommend  that  the  evangelization  of  bar¬ 
barous  nations  should  be  deferred  “  till  a  more  conven¬ 
ient  season,”  will  have  no  opportunity  of  offering  the 
advice  in  regard  to  some  of  these  islands  :  for,  behold, 
the  natives  are  Christians  already.  They  profess  the 
religion  of  the  Bible.  Let  it  be  our  endeavor  then  to 
do  more  justice  to  these  our  new  Protestant  subjects 
than  we  have  done  to  the  Christians  of  Ceylon.  We 
have  less  excuse  in  the  present  instance,  for  the  Malay 
Scriptures  are  already  translated  to  our  hands.  What 
a  noble  field  here  opens  to  the  view  of  the  “  Society  for 
promoting  Christian  Knowledge,”  and  of  the  Bible  So¬ 
ciety  1  Here  there  is  ample  room  for  a  praise-worthy 
emulation,  and  for  the  utmost  exercise  of  their  benevo¬ 
lent  exertions.  One  hundred  thousand  Malay  Bibles 
will  not  suffice  to  supply  the  Maylay  Christians. 

The  Sacred  Scriptures  were  translated  by  the  Dutch, 
into  the  Eastern  Maylay  ;*  for  that  is  the  general  lan¬ 
guage  of  their  extensive  dominions  in  the  Indian  Sea. 
But  the  Eastern  Maylay  is  different  from  the  Western 
Maylay,  or  that  of  Sumatra.  In  the  College  of  Fort- 
Wiliiam,  Thomas  Jarret,  Esq.  of  the  Honorable  Com¬ 
pany’s  Civil  Service,  was  preparing  a  version  of  the 
Scriptures  in  the  Western  Maylay  ;  for  which  under¬ 
taking  he  was  well  qualified,  having  resided  twelve 
years  in  Sumatra.  When  the  progress  of  the  Biblical 
translations  was  interrupted  in  the  College,  Mr.  Jarret 
prosecuted  the  work,  after  his  return  to  Madras.  He 
lias  had,  as  an  assistant  in  the  design,  a  learned  Maylay 

*  A  complete  version  of  the  Malay  Bible  was  published  in  the 
Arabic  character  at  Batavia,  in  5  vols.  8vo.  in  1758,  under  the  di¬ 
rection  of  Jacob  Mossel,  Governor-General  of  the  Dutch  posses¬ 
sions  in  the  East  Indies. 


RESPECTING  THE  MALAYS. 


65 


of  the  rank  of  Rajah  in  his  own  country,  who  came  from 
Sumatra  for  the  purpose.  Mr.  Jarret  has  also  made 
considerable  progress  in  compiling  a  copious  Malay 
Dictionary,  which  he  commenced  before  he  left  the  isl¬ 
and.  Kis  labor,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  will  not  be  lost  to  the 
public ;  for  the  Maylay  language  is  daily  increasing  in 
its  importance  to  the  British  nation. 

Prince  of  Wales’  Island,  or,  as  it  is  called  by  the 
natives,  Penang,  or  Pulo  Penang,  that  is,  the  island 
Penang,  is  the  capital  of  our  Malay  territories,  and  is 
the  proper  place  for  the  cultivation  of  the  Malay  Lan¬ 
guage,  being  situated  close  to  the  main  land  of  Ma¬ 
lacca.  As  there  is  a  College  in  Bengal  for  instruct¬ 
ing  the  English  in  the  languages  of  the  continent  of 
Hindostan,  it  is  equally  expedient  that  there  should  be 
an  Institution  in  Penang  for  the  cultivation  of  the  Ma¬ 
lay  Tongue,  and  of  the  various  dialects  of  our  insular 
possessions.  The  Dutch  attended  to  this  object  in 
the  very  infancy  of  their  empire.  Besides,  it  is  prob¬ 
able  that  Penang  will,  in  the  progress  of  Eastern  civ¬ 
ilization,  become  the  great  emporium  of  Asiatic  Com¬ 
merce.  Its  sudden  elevation,  is  a  prognostic  of  its  fu¬ 
ture  celebrity.  It  is  situated  on  what  may  be  called, 
“  the  high  way,”  in  which  ships  sail  from  either  hem¬ 
isphere  ;  and  is  the  very  centre  of  British  navigation 
in  the  East.  The  Author  resided  on  this  island  for 
about  a  month,  and  was  greatly  surprised  at  the  varie¬ 
ty  of  languages  which  are  spoken,  and  at  the  differ¬ 
ent  races  of  men  who  present  themselves  to  view  in 
this  infant  settlement.  The  merchants  are  chiefly  of 
the  Malay,  and  Indo-Chinese  nations.  John  Shaw, 
Esq.  was  prosecuting  the  study  of  the  Eastern  Malay 
Language,  when  I  visited  the  island,  and  has  since  pub¬ 
lished  a  considerable  portion  of  a  Malay  Grammar. 

The  author  who  chiefly  claims  our  notice  in  regard 
to  the  Malay  regions  is  J.  C.  Leyden,  M.  D.  Professor 
of  Hindostanee  in  the  College  of  Fort-William.  To 
him  the  learned  world  is  indebted  for  “  a  Dissertation 
on  the  Languages,  and  Literature  of  the  Indo-Chinese 
nations,”  just  published  in  the  Asiatic  Researches,  in 
which  he  illuminates  a  very  dark  subject,  and  opens  a 
new  view  to  Great  Britain  of  her  insular  possessions 

T  2 


66 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


in  Asia.  Dr.  Leyden  takes  tlie  lead  in  this  most  use¬ 
ful  science,  in  the  East,  being  possessed  of  very  rare 
talents  for  general  Philology,  which  he  has  applied  al¬ 
most  suddenly,  and  with  admirable  effect  to  the  Ori¬ 
ental  Languages.  If  this  erudite  scholar  should  pro¬ 
secute  his  researches  for  some  years  to  come,  with 
equal  assiduity  and  success,  he  will  promote,  in  the 
most  effectual  manner,  the  general  civilization  of  the 
East  by  opening  the  way  for  the  future  exertions  of 
Christian  teachers,  and  preparing  them  for  the  study  of 
languages,  the  names  of  which  are  not  yet  known  in 
Europe. 

Penang,  and  the  neighboring  settlement  of  Malacca, 
are  most  favorable  stations  for  the  study  of  the  various 
dialects  of  the  Malay  and  Chinese  Languages  ;  and 
for  pouring  forth  from  the  press  useful  works  for  the 
civilization  of  maritime  and  Austral  Asia.  Every  week, 
boats  of  different  nations  are  ready  to  carry  off  every 
thing  that  is  printed  to  their  respective  regions.  The 
Author  found  here  a  general  spirit  of  enquiry,  a  com¬ 
municative  disposition,  and  an  unusual  thirst  for  knowl¬ 
edge  ;  for  the  civilities  of  commerce  have  a  tendency 
to  weaken  prejudice  and  superstition  among  barbarous 
tribes. 

Although  the  Dutch  introduced  Christianity  on  eve¬ 
ry  island  where  they  established  a  Government,  yet 
the  greater  part  of  the  Malay  islands  are  involved  in 
darkness.  The  natives  are  of  three  general  casts, 
Pagans,  Mahomedans,  and  Chinese.  The  Mahome- 
dans  chiefly  inhabit  the  shores,  and  the  Pagans  the 
interior  parts  of  the  islands.  The  barbarism  of  the 
interior  nations  in  Sumatra,  Borneo,  and  other  isl¬ 
ands  almost  exceeds  belief.  Marsden,  in  hik  history  of 
Sumatra,  had  informed  us  that  it  was  usual  with  the 
natives  of  the  interior,  called  the  Batta  tribes,  to  kiil 
and  eat  their  criminals,  and  prisoners  of  war  ;  but  the 
researches  of  Dr.  Leyden  have  led  to  the  discovery 
that  they  sometimes  sacrifice  their  own  relations. 
«  They  themselves  declare,”  says  he,  “  that  they  fre¬ 
quently  eat  their  own  relations  when  aged  and  infirm  : 
and  that  not  so  much  to  gratify  their  appetite,  as  to 
perform  a  pious  ceremony.  Thus,  when  a  man  be- 


RESPECTING  THE  MALAYS. 


6  7 


comes  infirm  and  weary  of  the  world,  he  is  said  to 
invite  his  own  children  to  eat  him  in  the  season  when 
salt  and  limes  are  cheapest.  He  then  ascends  a  tree, 
round  which  his  friends  and  offspring  assemble,  and  a  a 
they  shake  the  tree,  join  in  a  funeral  dirge  the  import 
of  which  is,  ‘  The  season  is  come,  the  fruit  is  ripe,  and 
it  must  descend.’  The  victim  descends,  and  those  that 
are  nearest  and  dearest  to  him  deprive  him  of  life,  and 
devour  his  remains  in  a  solemn  banquet.”* 

These  cannibals  inhabit  the  interior  of  the  island  of 
Sumatra,  on  the  shore  of  which  is  the  English  settle¬ 
ment,  Bencoolen,  or  Fort-Mariborough.  We  have 
been  settled  there  for  a  long  period,  and  trade  with 
the  inhabitants  for  their  spices.  In  return  for  the pep- 
per  which  the  natives  give  us,  it  would  well  become 
our  character  as  a  Christian  nation,  were  we  now  at 
length,  to  offer  them  the  New-Test  ament. 

Another  description  of  barbarians  in  the  Eastern 
Isles,  are  the  Haraforas ,  called  by  the  Dutch,  the 
Alfoers.  They  are  to  be  found  in  almost  all  the  larger 
islands.  “  In  their  manners,  says  Dr.  Leyden,  the  most 
singular  feature  is  the  necessity  imposed  on  every  per¬ 
son  of,  sometime  in  his  life,  imbruing  his  hands  in  hu¬ 
man  blood:  and  in  general,  among  all  their  tribes,  no 
person  is  permitted  to  marry,  ’till  he  can  shew  the 
skull  of  a  man  whom  he  has  slaughtered.  They  eat 
the  flesh  of  their  enemies  like  the  Buttas ,  and  drink 
out  of  their  skulls  ;  and  the  ornaments  of  their  houses 
are  human  skulls  and  teeth. ”f  When  the  Author 
was  at  Pulo  Penang,  he  himself  saw  a  Chief  of  the 
Malay  tribe  who  had  a  staff',  on  the  head  of  which  was 
a  bushy  lock  of  human  hair  ;  which  he  said  he  had  cut 
from  the  head*  of  his  enemy  whom  he  had  killed. 

The  Author  has  mentioned  the  foregoing  circum¬ 
stances  to  shew  what  Paganism  is  in  its  natural  state, 
and  to  awaken  some  desire  of  civilizing  a  people,  w  ho 
are  now  so  accessible  to  us.  Some  Philosophers  of 
the  school  of  Voltaire  and  Gibbon,  have  been  extrav¬ 
agant  in  their  eulogium  of  man  in  a  state  of  nature, 
cr  in  some  other  state  devoid  of  Christianity  ;  and  it. 

*  Asiatic  Researches,  yol.  X.  p.  203. 

t  Ibid,  p.  217. 


68 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


is  to  be  lamented  that  some  Christian  writers  have 
tried  of  late  to  draw  the  same  picture.  But  Pagan¬ 
ism  in  its  best  estate,  is  well  described  by  one  line  of 
the  Poet : 

Monstrum,  horrendum,  intorme,  ingens  cui  LUMEN  ademptum.  Virg* 

No  quarter  of  the  globe  promises  to  be  more  aus¬ 
picious  to  Christian  Missions  than  the  Malayan  Archi¬ 
pelago.  In  regard  to  the  probable  success  of  our  en¬ 
deavors,  the  Dutch  have  already  shewn  what  is  prac¬ 
ticable.  The  natives  are  of  different  casts,  and  are  a 
divided  people.  The  communication  is  easy  from 
island  to  island  ;  our  own  ships  are  continually  plying 
on  their  shores.  The  China  fleets  pass  through  twice 
or  oftener  every  year  ;  and  with  most  of  the  islands  we 
have  intercourse  by  what  is  called  in  India,  the  coun¬ 
try  trade.  And  now  there  will  be,  of  course,  an  Eng¬ 
lish  Government  established  in  each  of  the  conquered 
islands  in  lieu  of  the  Dutch. 

The  Mahomcdans  found  it  easy  to  translate  the 
Koran  into  the  languages  of  Java ,  and  of  the  Celebes  ; 
but  the  Sacred  Scriptures  are  not  yet  translated  into 
either  of  these  languages.  The  proper  language  of 
Java  is  different  from  the  Malay  of  the  city  of  .Bata¬ 
via.  The  language  of  the  Celebes  is  called  the  Bugis, 
or  Bougucse.*  The  natives  of  Celebes  are  distinguish¬ 
ed  for  their  vigor  of  mind  and  strength  of  body  ;  and 
are  acknowledged  to  be  the  first  of  the  Orang  Timor , 
or  Eastern  men.  Literature  was  formerly  cultivatecj. 
among  them.  Dr.  Leyden  enumerates  fifty-three  dif¬ 
ferent  volumes.  “  Their  songs,”  says  he,  “and  roman¬ 
ces  arc  famous  among  all  the  islands  of  the  East.” 
Their  language  extends  to  other  islands  ;  for  they  for¬ 
merly  carried  their  conquests  beyond  the  Moluccas. 
The  man  who  shall  first  translate  the  Bible  into  the 
language  of  the  Celebes,  will  probably  be  read  by  as 
many  islanders  as  have  read  the  translation  of  Wick- 
liffe.  Let  us  consider  how  long  these  nations  have 

*  Lord  Minto  notices  in  liis  Speech  to  the  College  of  Fort -'Wil¬ 
liam,  that  Thos.  Raffles,  Esq.  Secretary  to  the  Government  in 
Prince  of  AVales’  Island,  is  employed  in  compiling  a  code  of  Ma¬ 
lay  Laws,  in  the  Malay,  and  JSouguese  Languages. 


RESPECTING  THE  SYRIANS. 


69 


waited  for  Christian  instruction,  and  contemplate  the 
words  of  the  prophecy,  “  The  isles  shall  wait  for  HIS 
Law,”  Is.  xlii,  4.  ^ 

The  facilities  for  civilizing  the  Malayan  isles  are  cer¬ 
tainly  very  great ;  and  these  facilities  are  our  strongest 
encouragement  to  make  the  attempt.  Both  in  our 
translation  of  the  Scriptures  and  in  missions  to  the  hea¬ 
then,  we  should  avoid  as  much  as  possible  what  may  be 
called  enterprise.  Let  us  follow  the  path  that  is  easy 
and  secure,  and  make  use  of  those  means  which  are  al¬ 
ready  afforded  to  us  by  Providence.  Thus  the  most 
valuable  and  important  translation  of  the  Scriptures  in 
the  present  circumstances,  will  be  that  for  which  a  peo¬ 
ple  are  already  prepared,  such  as  the  Malayalim,  the 
Cingalese, and  Malay.  And  the  most  judiciously  plan¬ 
ned  Missions  will  be  those  where  there  is  a  prospect  of 
personal  security  to  the  teachers  ;  and  where  there  are, 
judging  from  human  probabilities,  the  greatest  facilities 
for  the  conversion  of  the  people. 

THE  SYRIAN  CHRISTIANS  IN  INDIA. 

The  Syrian  Christians  inhabit  the  interior  of  Travan- 
core  and  Malabar,  in  the  South  of  India  ;  and  have 
been  settled  there  from  the  early  ages  of  Christianity. 
The  first  notices  of  this  ancient  people  in  recent  times 
are  to  be  found  in  the  Portuguese  histories.  When 
Vasco  de  Gama  arrived  at  Cochin  on  the  coast  of 
Malabar,  in  the  year  1503,  he  saw  the  sceptre  of  the 
Christian  King  ;  for  the  Syrian  Christians  had  formerly 
regal  power  in  Malay-ala.*  The  name  or  title  of  their 
last  King  was  Beliarte  ;  and  he  dying  without  issue, 
the  dominion  devolved  on  the  King  of  Cochin  and  Di- 
amper. 

When  the  Portuguese  arrived,  they  were  agreeably 
surprised  to  find  upwards  of  a  hundred  Christian 
Churches  on  the  coast  of  Malabar.  But  when  they 

*  Malay-ala  is  the  proper  name  for  the  whole  country  of  Tra- 
vancore  and  Malabar,  comprehending  the  territory  between  the 
mountains  and  the  sea,  from  Cape  Comorin  to  Cape  Illi  or  Dilly. 
The  language  of  these  extensive  regions  is  called  Malayalim,  and 
sometimes  Malabar.  We  shall  use  the  word  Malabar,  as  being  of 
easier  pronunciation. 


70 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


became  acquainted  with  the  purity  and  simplicity  of 
their  worship,  they  were  offended.  “These  Churches, ,r 
said  the  Portuguese,  “belong  to  the  Pope.”  “Who hr 
the  Pope,”  said  the  natives,  “  we  never  heard  of  him.” 
The  European  priests  were  yet  more  alarmed,  when 
they  found  that  these  Hindoo  Christians  maintained 
the  order  and  discipline  of  a  regular  Church  under 
Episcopal  Jurisdiction  ;  and  that,  for  1300  years  past, 
they  had  enjoyed  a  succession  of  Bishops  appointed  by 
the  Patriarch  of  Antioch.  “  We,”  said  they,  “  are  of 
the  true  faith,  whatever  you  from  the  West  may  be  ;  for 
we  come  from  the  place  where  the  followers  of  Christ 
were  first  called  Christians.” 

When  the  power  of  the  Portuguese  became  suffi¬ 
cient  for  their  purpose,  they  invaded  these  tranquil 
Churches,  seized  some  of  the  Clergy,  and  devoted 
them  to  the  death  of  heritics.  Then  the  inhabitants 
heard  for  the  first  time  that  there  was  a  place  called 
the  Inquisition;  and  that  its  fires  had  been  lately  light¬ 
ed  at  Goa,  near  their  own  land.  But  the  Portuguese, 
finding  that  the  people  were  resolute  in  defending 
their  ancient  faith,  began  to  try  more  conciliatory  meas¬ 
ures.  They  seized  the  Syrian  Bishop  Mar  Joseph, 
and  sent  him  prisoner  to  Lisbon  :  and  then  convened 
a  Synod  at  one  of  the  Syrian  Churches  called  Diam- 
per,  near  Cochin,  at  which  the  Romish  Archbishop 
Menezes  presided.  At  this  compulsory  Synod,  150 
of  the  Syrian  Clergy  appeared.  They  were  accused 
of  the  following  practices  and  opinions  :  “  That  they 
had  married  wives ;  that  they  owned  but  two  Sacra¬ 
ments,  Baptism  and  the  Lord’s  Supper ;  that  they 
neither  invoked  Saints,  nor  worshipped  Images,  nor 
believed  in  Purgatory  :  and  that  they  had  no  other  or¬ 
ders  or  names  of  dignity  in  the  Church,  than  Bishop, 
Priest,  and  Deacon.”  These  tenets  they  were  called 
on  to  abjure,  or  to  suffer  suspension  from  all  Church 
benefices.  It  was  also  decreed  that  all  the  Syrian  books 
on  Ecclesiastical  subjects  that  could  be  found,  should 
be  burned  ;  “  in  order,”  said  the  Inquisitors,  “  that  no 
pretended  apostolical  monuments  may  remain.” 

The  Churches  on  the  sea-coast  were  thus  compel¬ 
led  to  acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  the  Pope  :  but 


RESPECTING  THE  SYRIANS. 


1 


they  refused  to  pray  in  Latin,  and  insisted  on  retaining 
their  own  language  and  Liturgy.  This  point  they  said 
they  would  only  give  up  with  their  lives.  The  'Pope 
compromised  with  them  :  Menezr  s  purged  their  Litur¬ 
gy  ol  its  errors :  and  they  retain  their  Syriac  Lan¬ 
guage,  and  have  a  Syriac  College  unto  this  day.  These 
are  called  the  Svro-Roman  Churches,  and  are  princi¬ 
pally  situated  on  the  sea-coast, 

I  he  Churches  in  the  interior  would  not  yield  to 
Rome.  After  a  show  of  submission  for  a  little  while, 
they  proclaimed  eternal  war  against  the  Inquisition  • 
they  hid  their  books,  fled  occasionally  to  the  moun¬ 
tains,  and  sought  the  protection  of  the  Native  Princes 
who  had  always  been  proud  of  their  alliance. 

.  °  centuries  had  elapsed  without  any  particular 

information  concerning  the  Syrian  Christians  in  the 
interior  of  India.  It  was  doubted  by  many  whether 
they  existed  at  all  ;  but  if  they  did  exist,  it  was  thought 
piobable  that  they  must  possess  some  interesting  docu¬ 
ments  of  Christian  antiquity.  The  Author  conceived 
the  design  of  visiting  them,  if  practicable,  in  his  tour 
tnrough  Hindostan.  He  presented  a  short  memoir 
on  the  subject  in  1805,  to  Marquis  Wellesley,  then 
Governor  General  of  India ;  who  was  pleased  to  give 
orders  that  every  facility  should  be  afforded  to  him  in 
tne  prosecution  of  his  inquiries.  About  a  year  after 
that  Jsobleman  had  left  India,  the  Author  proceeded 
on  his  Tour.  It  was  necessary  that  he  should  visit 
nrst  the  Court  of  the  Rajah  of  Travancore,  in  whose 
dominions  the  Syrian  Christians  resided,  that  he  might 
obtain  permission  to  pass  to  their  country.  The  two 
duet  objects  which  he  proposed  to  himself  in  explor¬ 
ing  the  state  of  this  ancient  people,  were  these:  First 
'ne,s!!Sate  their  literature  and  history,  and  to  col- 
lect  Biblical  manuscripts.  Secondly,  if  he  should  find 
them  °  bean  mteihgent  people,  and  well  acquainted 
wnh  the  Syriac  Scriptures,  to  endeavor  to  make  them 
instruments  of  illuminating  the  Southern  part  of  India 
by  engaging  them  in  translating  their  Scriptures  into’ 

tne  i>ative  Languages.  He  had  reason  to  believe  that 
this  had  not  yet  been  done  ;  and  he  was  prepared  not  to 
wonder  at  the  delay,  by  the  reflection  how  long  it  was 


n 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


before  his  own  countrymen  began  to  think  it  their  duty 
to  make  versions  of  the  Scriptures,  for  the  use  of  other 
nations. 


t£  Palace  of  Travancore,  19 th  Oct.  1806. 

I  have  now  been  a  week  at  the  Palace  of  Trivand- 
uram,  where  the  Rajah  resides.  A  letter  of  introduc¬ 
tion  from  Lieut.  Colonel  Macaulay,  the  British  Resi¬ 
dent  at  Travancore,  procured  me  a  proper  reception. 
At  my  first  audience  His  Highness  was  very  inquisitive 
as  to  the  objects  of  my  journey.  As  I  had  servants 
with  me  of  different  casts  and  languages,  it  was  very 
easy  for  the  Brahmins  to  discover  every  particular  they 
might  wish  to  know,  in  regard  to  my  profession,  pur¬ 
suits,  and  manner  of  life.  When  I  told  the  Rajah  that 
the  Syrian  Christians  were  supposed  to  be  of  the  same 
religion  with  the  English,  he  said  he  thought  that  could 
not  be  the  case,  else  he  must  have  heard  it  before  ;  if 
however  it  was  so,  he  considered  my  desire  to  visit  them 
as  being  very  reasonable.  I  assured  His  Highness  that 
their  Shunter  and  ours  was  the  same  ;  and  shewed  him 
a  Syriac  New  Testament  which  I  had  at  hand.  The 
book  being  bound  and  guilt  after  the  European  manner, 
the  Rajah  shook  his  head,  and  said  he  was  sure  there 
was  not  a  native  in  his  dominions  who  could  read  that 
book.  I  observed  that  this  would  be  proved  in  a  few 
days.  The  Dewan  (or  Prime  Minister)  thought  the 
character  something  like  what  he  had  seen  sometimes 
in  the  houses  of  the  Sooriani.  The  Rajah  said  he  would 
afford  me  every  facility  for  my  journey  in  his  power. 
He  put  an  emerald  ring  on  my  finger,  as  a  fnark  of  his 
friendship,  and  to  secure  me  respect  in  passing  through 
his  country;  and  he  directed  his  Dewan  to  send  proper 
persons  with  me  as  guides. 

“  I  requested  that  the  Rajah  would  be  pleased  to  pre¬ 
sent  a  Catalogue  of  all  the  Hindoo  Manuscripts  in  the 
Temples  of  Travancore  to  the  College  of  Fort- William 
in  Bengal.  The  Brahmins  were  very  averse  to  this  ; 
but  when  I  shewed  the  Rajah  the  catalogues  of  the 
books  in  the  Temples  of  Tanjore,  given  by  the  Rajah  of 
Tanjore,  and  those  of  the  Temple  of  Remisseram,  giv¬ 
en  me  by  order  of  the  Rannie  (or  Queen)  of  Ramnad ; 


73 


RESPECTING  THE  SYRIANS. 


b.c  desired  it  might  be  done  ;  and  orders  have  been  sent 
the  Hindoo  College  of  Trichoor  for  that  purpose.”* 


“  C-hinganoor  ;  a  Church  of  the  Syrian  Christians, 
JVov,  1C  ih,  1806. 


u  From  the  palace  of  Travancore  I  proceeded  to 
Mavely-car,  and  thence  to  the  bids  at  the  bottom  of  the 
high  Ghauts  which  divide  the  Carnatic  from  Malay-ala. 
The  face  of  the  country  in  general  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
mountains,  exhibits  a  varied  scene  of  hill  and  dale,  and 
winding  streams.  These  streams  fall  trom.  the  moun- 
tains,  and  preserve  the  vailies  in  perpetual  verdure. 
The  woods  produce  pepper,  cardamoms,  and  cassia,  or 
common  cinnamon  ;  also  frankincense  and  other  aro¬ 
matic  gums.  What  adds  much  to  the  grandeur  of  the 
scenery  in  this  country  is,  that  the  adjacent  mountains 
of  Travancore  are  not  barren ,  but  are  covered  with  for¬ 
ests  of  teak  wood  ;  the  Indian  oak,  producing,  it  is 
,  said,  the  largest  timber  in  the  world. 

“  The  first  view  of  the  Christian  Churches  in  this  se¬ 
questered  region  of  Hindostan,  connected  with  the  idea 
of  their  tranquil  duration  for  so  many  ages,  cannot  fail 
to  excite  pleasing  emotions  in  the  mind  of  the  beholder. 
1  iie  form  of  the  oldest  buildings  is  not  unlike  that  of 
some  of  the  old  Parish  Churches  in  England  ;  the  style 
oi  building  in  both  being  of  Saracenic  origin.  They 
have  sloping  roofs,  pointed  arch  windows,  and  buttres¬ 
ses  supporting  the  walls.  The  beams  of  the  roof  being 
exposed  to  view  are  ornamented  ;  and  the  ceiling  of  the 
choir  and  altar  is  circular  and  fretted.  In  the  Cathe- 
dral  Churches,  the  shrines  of  the  deceased  bishops  are 
placed  on  each  side  of  the  altar.  Most  of  the  Churches 
are  built  of  a  redish  stone  squared  and  polished  at  the 
quarry  ;  and  are  of  durable  construction,  the  front  wall 
ol  the  largest  edifices  being  six  feet  thick.  The  bells 
oi  the  Churches  are  cast  in  the  founderies  of  the 
country  :  some  of  them  are  of  large  dimensions,  and 


*  These  three  Catalogues,  together  with  that  of  the  Rajah  of 
Cochin,  which  the  Author  procured  afterwards,  are  now  deposit 
cn  in  the  College  of  Fort- William,  and  probably  contain  all  the 
Hindoo  Literature  of  the  Soutn  of  India. 

G 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


74 


have  inscriptions  in  Syriac  and  Malay-alim.  In  ap¬ 
proaching  a  town  in  the  evening,  I  once  heard  the 
sound  of  the  bells  among  the  hills;  a  circumstance 
which  made  me  forget  for  a  moment  that  I  was  in  Hin- 
dostan,  and  reminded  me  of  another  country. 

“  The  first  Syrian  Church  which  I  saw  was  at  Mave- 
ly-car  :  but  the  Syrians  here  are  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Romish  Christians  ;  and  are  not  so  simple  in  their  man¬ 
ners  as  those  nearer  the  mountains.  They  had  been 
often  visited  by  Romish  emissaries  in  former  times  :  and 
they  at  first  suspected  that  I  belonged  to  that  commun¬ 
ion.  They  had  heard  of  the  English,  but  strangely 
supposed  that  they  belonged  to  the  Church  of  the  Pope 
in  the  West.  They  had  been  so  little  accustomed  to 
see  a  friend,  that  they  could  not  believe  that  I  was  come 
with  any  friendly  purpose.  Added  to  this,  I  had  some 
discussions  with  a  most  intelligent  priest,  in  regard  to 
the  original  language  of  the  Four  Gospels,  which  he 
maintained  to  be  Syriac  ;  and  they  suspected  from  the 
complexion  of  my  argument,  that  I  wished  to  weaken 
the  evidences  for  their  antiquity.*  Soon  however  the 

*  “  You  concede,”  said  the  Syrian,  “  that  our  Saviour  spoke  in 
our  language ;  how  do  you  know  it?”  From  Syriac  expressions 
in  the  Greek  Gospels.  It  appears  that  he  spoke  Syriac  when  he 
walked  by  the  way  (Ephphatha,)  and  when  he  sat  in  the  house 
(Talitha  Cumi,)  and  when  he  was  upon  the  cross  (Eli,  Eli,  lama 
sabachthani.)  The  Syrians  were  pleased  when  they  heard  that 
we  had  got  their  language  in  our  English  books.  The  priest  ob¬ 
served  that  these  last  were  not  the  exact  words,  but  ‘Ail,  Ail, 
lamono  sabachthani.*  I  answered  that  the  word  must  have  been 
very  like  Eli,  for  one  said  “  He  calleth  for  Elias.”  “  True,  said 
he,  but  yet  it  was  more  likely  to  be  Ail,  Ail,  (pronounced  II  or 
Eel)  for  Jlil  or  Hila,  is  old  Syriac  for  Vinegar  ;  and  one  thought 
he  wanted  Vinegar,  and  filled  immediately  a  sponge  with  it.  But 
our  Saviour  did  not  want  the  meditated  drink  as  they  supposed. 
But,  added  he,  if  the  parables  and  discourses  of  our  Lord  were 
in  Syriac,  and  the  people  of  Jerusalem  commonly  used  it,  is  it 
not  marvellous  that  his  Disciples  did  not  record  his  parables  in 
the  Syriac  Language ;  and  that  they  should  have  recourse  to  the 
Greek  ?”  I  observed  that  the  Gospel  was  for  the  world,  and*  the 
Greek  was  then  the  universal  language,  and  therefore  Providence 
selected  it.  It  is  very  probable,  said  he,  that  the  Gospels  were 
translated  immediately  afterwards  into  Greek,  as  into  other  lan¬ 
guages  ;  but  surely  there  must  have  been  a  Syriac  original.  The 
poor  people  in  Jerusalem  could  not  read  Greek.  Had  they  no  re¬ 
cord  in  their  hands,  of  Christ’s  parables  which  they  had  heard. 


RESPECTING  THE  SYRIANS. 


75 


gloom  and  suspicion  subsided ;  they  gave  me  the 
right  hand  of  fellowship,  in  the  primitive  manner;  and 
one  of  their  number  was  deputed  to  accompany  me  to 
the  Churches  in  the  interior. 

“  When  we  were  approaching  the  Church  of  Chinga- 
noor,  we  met  one  of  the  Cassana rsj  or  Syrian  Clergy. 
He  was  dressed  in  a  white  loose  vestment  with  a  cap 
of  red  silk  hanging  down  behind.  Being  informed  who 
lie  was,  1  said  to  him  in  the  Syriac  Language,  4  Peace 
be  unto  you.  He  was  surprised  at  the  salutation  ;  but 
immediately  answered,  4 1  he  God  of  peace  be  with  you:* 
lie  accosted  the  Rajah’s  servants  in  the  language  of  the 
country  to  know  who  I  was ;  and  immediately  returned 
to  the  village  to  announce  our  approach.  When  ive 
arrived  I  was  received  at  the  door  of  the  Church  by 
three  ICashees/ias,  that  is,  Presbyters,  or  Priests,  who 
were  habited  m  like  manner,  in  white  vestments.  Their 
names  were.  Jesu,  Zecharias,  and  Urias,  which  they 
wiote  down  in  my  Journal,  each  of  them  adding  to  his 
name  die  title  of  Kasheesha.  There  were  also  present 
two  S/nanshanas ,  or  Deacons.  The  elder  Priest  was  a 
very  intelligent  man,  of  reverend  appearance,  having  a 
long  white  beard,  and  of  an  affable  and  engaging  de¬ 
pot  tment.  The  three  principal  Christians,  or  lay  elders 
belonging  to  the  Church,  were  named  Abraham,  Tho- 
ma,  and  Alexandras.  After  some  conversation  with 
iny  attendants  they  received  me  with  confidence  and 
affection  ;  and  the  people  of  the  neighbouring  villages 
came  round,  women  as  well  as  men.  The  sight  of  the 
women  assured  me  that  I  was  once  more  (after  a  long 
absence  from  England)  in  a  Christian  country.  For 
che  Hindoo  women,  and  the  Mahomedan  women,  and 
m  short,  all  women  who  arc  not  Christians  are  account- 

and  ofhia  sublime  discourses  recorded  by  St.John,  after  his  ascen- 
sion  ?  I  acknowledged  that  it  was  generally  believed  by  the  learn- 
ed  that  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew  was  written  originally  in  Syri- 
ac  “So  you  admit  St.  Matthew  ?  You  may  as 'well  admit  St. 
John  Or  was  one  Gospel  enough  for  die  inhabitants  of  Jerusa¬ 
lem  }  I  contended  that  there  were  many  Greek  and  Roman  words 
m  their  own  Syriac  Gospels.  “  True,”  said  he,  “  Roman  words 
lor  Roman  things  ”  They  Wished  however  to  see  some  of  these 
words.  The  discussion  afterwards,  particularly  in  reference  to 
the  Gospel  of  St.  Luke,  was  more  in  my  favor. 


75 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


cd  by  the  men  an  inferior  race  ;  and,  in  general,  are  con¬ 
fined  to  the  house  for  life,  like  irrational  creatures.  In 
every  countenance  now  before  me  I  thought  I  could 
discover  the  intelligence  of  Christianity.  But  at  the 
same  time,  I  perceived,  all  around,  symptoms  of  pov¬ 
erty  and  political  depression.  In  the  Churches,  and  in 
the  people,  there  was  the  air  of  falling  greatness.  I  said 
to  the  senior  Priest,  4  You  appear  to  me  like  a  people 
who  have  known  better  days.’  4  It  is  even  so,’  said  he. 
4  We  are  in  a  degenerate  state  compared  with  our  fore¬ 
fathers.’  He  noticed  that  there  were  too  causes  of 
their  present  decay.  4  About  300  years  ago  an  enemy 
came  from  the  We6t  bearing  the  name  of  Christ,  but 
armed  with  the  Inquisition  :  and  compelled  us  to  seek 
the  protection  of  the  native  Princes.  And  the  native 
Princes  have  kept  us  in  a  state  of  depression  ever  since. 
They  indeed  recognize  our  ancient  personal  privileges, 
for  we  rank  in  general  next  to  the  JVairs ,  the  nobility 
of  the  country  ;  but  they  have  encroached  by  degrees 
en  our  property,  till  we  have  been  reduced  to  the  hum¬ 
ble  state  in  which  you  find  us.  The  glory  of  our 
Church  has  passed  away;  but  we  hope  your  nation  will 
revive  it  again.’  I  observed  that  4  the  glory  cf  a  Church 
could  never  die,  if  it  preserved  the  Bible.’  4  We  have 
preserved  the  Bible,’  said  he  ;  4  the  Hindoo  Princes  nev¬ 
er  touched  our  liberty  of  conscience.  We  were  form¬ 
erly  on  a  footing  with  them  in  political  power  ;  and  they 
respect  our  religion.  We  have  also  converts  from  time 
to  time  ;  but  in  this  Christian  duty  we  are  not  so  active 
as  we  once  were  ;  besides  it  is  not  so  creditable  now  to 
become  Christian  in  our  low  estate.’  He  then  pointed 
out  to  me  a  Mamboory  Brahmin,  (that  is,  a  Brahmin  of 
the  highest  cast)  who  had  lately  become  a  Christian, 
and  assumed  the  white  vestment  of  a  Syrian  Priest. 
4  The  learning  too  of  the  Bible,’  he  added,  4  is  in  alow 
state  amongst  us.  Our  copies  are  few  in  number  ;  and 
that  number  is  diminishing  instead  of  increasing  ;  and 
the  writing  out  a  whole  copy  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures 
is  a  great  labor,  where  there  is  no  profit  and  little  piety.* 
I  then  produced  a  printed  copy  of  the  Syriac  New  Tes¬ 
tament.  There  was  not  one  of  them  who  had  ever  seen 
a  printed  copy  before.  They  admired  it  much  i  and 


RESPECTING  THE  SYRIANS. 


77 


every  Priest,  as  it  came  into  his  hands,  began  to  read  a 
pouion,  which  he  did  fluently,  while  the  women  came 
round  to  hear.  I  asked  the  old  Priest  whether  I  should 
send  them  some  copies  from  Europe.  ‘  They  would  be 
worth  their  weight  in  silver,’  said  he.  He  asked  me 
wnether  the  Old  Testament  was  printed  in  Syriac,  as 
well  as  the  New.  1  told  him  it  was,  but  I  had  not  a 
copy.  I  hey  professed  an  earnest  desire  to  obtain  some 
copies  of  the  whole  Syriac  Bible  ;  and  asked  whether  it 
would  be  practicable  to  obtain  one  copy  for  every 
Church.  ‘  I  must  confess  to  you,’  said  Zecharias,  ‘  that 
we  have  very  few  copies  of  the  prophetical  Scriptures  in 
the  Church.  Our  Church  languishes  for  want  of  the 
Scriptures.’  But  he  added,  ‘  the  language  that  is  most 
in  use  among  the  people  is  the  Malayaiim,  (or  Malabar) 
the  vernacular  language  of  the  country.  Tiie. Syriac  is 
now  only  the  learned  language,  and  the  language  of  the 
Cnurch  :  but  we  generally  expound  the  Scriptures  to 
the  people  in  the  vernacular  tongue.’ 

“  I  then  entered  on  the  subject  of  the  translation  of 
the  Scriptures.  He  said  ‘  a  version  could  be  made  with 
critical  accuracy ;  for  there  were  many  of  the  Syrian 
Clergy  who  were  perfect  masters  of  both  languages, 
having  spoken  them  from  their  infancy.  But,’  said  he, 
our  Bishop  will  rejoice  to  see  you,  and  to  discourse 
with  you  on  this  and  other  subjects.’  I  told  them  that 
it  a  translation  could  be  prepared,  I  should  be  able  to 
gel  it  punted,  and  to  distribute  copies  among  their  tifiy- 
iiye  Churches  at  a  small  price.  ‘  That  indeed  would 
give  joy,  said  old  Abraham.  There  was  here  a  mur¬ 
mur  oi  satisfaction  among  the  people.  If  I  understand 
}ou  right,  said  I,  the  greatest  blessing  the  English 
Church  can  bestow  upon  you,  is  the  Bible.  ‘  It  is  so.’ 
s.dd  he.  1  And  what  is  the  next  greatest,’  said  I.  4  Some 
freedom  and  personal  consequence  as  a  people.’  By 
which  he  meant  political  liberty.  ‘  We  are  here  in 
bondage,  like  Israel  in  Egypt.’  I  observed  that  the 
English  nat  on  would  doubtless  recognize  a  nation  of 
fellow -Christians  ;  and  would  be  happy  to  interest  itself 
in  their  behalf,  as  far  as  our  political  relation  with  the 
Prince  of  the  country  would  permit.  They  wished  to 
know  what  were  the  principles  of  the  English  Govern* 

G  2 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


rs 

ment,  civil  and  religious.  I  answered  that  our  Govern¬ 
ment  might  be  said  to  be  founded  generally  on  the  prin¬ 
ciples  of  the  Bible.  ‘  Ah,’  said  old  Zecharias,  ‘  that  must 
be  a  glorious  Government  which  is  founded  on  the  prin¬ 
ciples  of  the  Bible.’  The  Priests  then  desired  I  would 
give  them  some  account  of  the  History  of  the  English 
nation,  and  of  our  secession  from  their  enemy  the 
Church  of  Rome.  And  in  return,  I  requested  they 
would  give  me  some  account  of  their  history.  My 
communications  with  the  Syrians  are  rendered  very 
easy,  by  means  cf  an  Interpreter  whom  I  brought  with 
me  all  the  way  from  the  Tanjore  Country.  He  is  a 
Hindoo  by  descent,  but  is  an  intelligent  Christian,  and 
was  a  pupil  and  catechist  of  the  late  Mr.  Swartz.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Kohlorf  recommended  him  to  me.  He  form¬ 
erly  lived  in  Travancore,  and  is  well  acquainted  with 
the  vernacular  tongue.  Pie  also  reads  and  writes  Eng¬ 
lish  very  well,  and  is  as  much  interested  in  favor  cf  the 
Syrian  Christians  as  I  myself.  Besides  Mr.  Swartz’s 
catechist,  there  are  two  natives  of  Travancore  here,  who 
speak  the  Hindostanee  Language,  which  is  familiar  to¬ 
me.  My  knowledge  of  the  Syriac  is  sufficient  to  refer 
to  texts  of  Scriptures  ;  but  I  do  not  well  understand  the 
pronunciation  of  the  Syrians.  I  hope  to  be  better  ac¬ 
quainted  with  their  language  before  I  leave  the  country.” 

“  Ranniel ,  a  Syrian  Churchy  Nov.  12 th,  1806. 

“  This  Church  is  built  upon  i  rocky  hill  on  the  banks 
ef  the  river  ;  and  is  the  most  remote  of  all  the  Churches 
in  this  quarter.  The  two  Kasheeshas  here  are  Lucas 
and  Mattai  (Luke  and  Matthew.)  The  chief  Lay 
members  are  Abraham,  Georgius,  Thoma,  and  Philip- 
pus.  Some  of  the  Priests  accompany  me  from  Church 
to  Church.  I  have  now  visited  eight  Churches,  and 
scarcely  believe  sometimes  that  I  am  in  the  iand  of  the 
Hindoos  ;  only  that  I  now  and  then  see  a  Hindoo  tem¬ 
ple  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  I  observed  that  the  bells 
of  most  of  the  Churches  are  within  the  building,  and 
not  in  a  tower.  The  reason  they  said  was  this.  When 
a  flindoo  temple  happens  to  be  near  a  Church,  the  Hi  n¬ 
doos  do  not  like  the  bell  to  sound  loud,  for  they  say  it 
frightens  their  God.  I  perceive  that  the  Syrian  Chris- 


Respecting  the  Syrians. 


79 


lians  assimilate  much  to  the  Hindoos  in  the  practice  of 
frequent  ablutions  for  health  and  cleanliness,  and  in  the 
use  of  vegetables  and  light  food. 

“  I  attended  divine  service  on  the  Sunday.  Their 
Liturgy  is  that  which  was  formerly  used  in  the  Churches 
of  the  Patriarch  of  Antioch.  During  the  prayers,  there 
were  intervals  of  silence  :  the  Priest  praying  in  a  low 
voice,  and  every  man  praying  for  himself.  These  silent 
intervals  add  much  to  the  solemnity  and  appearance  of 
devotion.  They  use  incense  in  the  Churches,  it  grows 
in  the  woods  around  them  ;  and  contributes  much,  they 
say,  to  health,  and  to  the  warmth  and  comfort  of  the 
Church,  during  the  cold  and  raiirv  season  of  the  year. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  service,  a  ceremony  takes  place 
which  pleased  me  much.  The  Priest  (or  Bishop,  if  he 
be  present)  comes  forward,  and  all  the  people  pass  by 
him  as  they  go  out,  receiving  his  benediction  individu¬ 
ally.  If  any  man  has  been  guilty  of  any  immorality,  he 
does  not  receive  the  blessing  ;  and  this,  in  their  prim¬ 
itive  and  patriarchal  state,  is  accounted  a  severe  pun¬ 
ishment.  Instruction  by  preaching  is  little  in  use  umon" 
them  now.  Many  of  the  old  men  lamented  the  decay 
of  piety,  and  religious  knowledge  ;  and  spoke  with 
pleasure  of  the  record  of  ancient  times.  They  have 
some  ceremonies  nearly  allied  to  those  of  the  Greek 
Church.  Here,  as  in  all  Churches  in  a  state  of  decline, 
there  is  too  much  formality  in  the  worship.  But  they 
have  the  Bible  and  a  scriptural  Liturgy  ;  and  these  will 
save  a  Church  in  the  worst  of  times.  These  may  pre¬ 
serve  the  spark  and  life  of  religion,  though  the  flame 
be  out.  And  as  there  were  but  few  copies  of  the  Bible 
among  the  Syrians  (for  every  copy  was  transcribed  with 
the  pen)  it  is  highly  probable  that,  if  they  had  not  en¬ 
joyed  the  advantage  of  the  daily  prayers,  and  daily  por¬ 
tions  of  Scripture  in  their  Liturgy,  there  would  have 
been  in  the  revolution  of  ages,  no  vestige  of  Christian¬ 
ity  left  among  them.* 

*  In  a  nation  like  ours,  overflowing  with  knowledge,  men  are 
not  always  in  circumstances  to  perceive  the  value  of  a  scriptural 
Liturgy.  When  Christians  are  well  taught,  they  think  they  want 
something  better.  But  the  young  and  the  ignorant,  who  form  a. 
great  proportion  of  the  community,  are  edified  by  a  little  plain  in  ■ 


80 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


“  The  doctrines  of  the  Syrian  Christians  are  few  in 
number,  but  pure,  and  agree  in  essential  points  with 
those  of  the  Church  of  England  :  so  that,  although 
the  body  of  the  Church  appears  to  be  ignorant,  and 
formal,  and  dead,  there  are  individuals  who  are  alive 
to  righteousness,  who  are  distinguished  from  the  rest 
by  their  purity  of  life,  and  are  sometimes  censured  for 
too  rigid  a  piety.  In  every  Church,  and  in  many  of 
the  private  houses,  there  are  manuscripts  in  the  Syriac 
Language  ;  and  I  have  been  successful  in  procuring 
some  old  and  valuable  copies  of  the  Scriptures  and 
other  books,  written  in  different  ages  and  in  different 
characters.” 

“  Candc-nad ,  a  Church  of  the  Syrian  Christians , 

November  23,  1806. 

“  This  is  the  residence  of  Mar  Dionysius  the 
Metropolitan  of  the  Syrian  Church.  A  great  number 
of  the  Priests  from  the  other  Churches  had  assembled 
by  desire  of  the  Bishop,  before  my  arrival.  The 
Bishop  resides  in  a  building  attached  to  the  Church. 
I  was  much  struck  with  his  first  appearance.  He  was 
dressed  in  a  vestment  of  dark  red  silk ;  a  large  golden 
cross  hung  from  his  neck,  and  his  venerable  beard 
reached  below  his  girdle.  Such,  thought  I,  was  the 
appearance  of  Chrysostom  in  the  fourth  century.  On 
public  occasions,  he  wears  the  Episcopal  mitre,  and  a 
muslin  robe  is  thrown  over  his  under  garment ;  and 
in  his  hand  he  bears  the  crosier,  or  pastoral  staff.  He 
is  a  man  of  highly  respectable  character  in  his  Church, 
eminent  for  his  piety,  and  for  the  attention  he  devotes 
to  his  sacred  functions.  I  found  him  to  be  far  superior 
in  general  learning  to  any  of  his  clergy  whom  1  had 

struction  frequently  repeated.  A  small  Church  or  Sect  may  do 
without  a  form  for  a  while.  But  a  national  Liturgy  is  that  which 
preserves  a  relic  of  the  true  faith  among  the  people  in  a  large  Em. 
pire,  when  the  Priests  leave  their  articles  and  their  confes- 
sioNsof  faith.  Woe  to  the  declining  Church  which  hath  no 
tiospel  Liturgy  !  Witness  the  Presbyterians  in  die  West  of  Eng¬ 
land,  and  some  other  sects,  who  are  said  to  have  become  Allans 
and  Socinians  to  a  man.  The  Puritans  of  a  former  age  did  not 
live  long  enough  to  see  the  use  of  an  evaiv  elical  Formulary. 


RESPECTING  THE  SYRIANS. 


81 


vet  seen.  He  told  me  that  all  my  conversations  with 
his  Priests  since  my  arrival  in  the  country  had  been 
communicated  to  him.  You  have  come,”  said  he, 
u  to  visit  a  declining  Church,  and  I  am  now  an  g’cI 
man  :  but  the  hopes  of  its  seeing  better  days  cheer  my 
old  age,  though  I  may  not  live  to  see  them.”  1  sub¬ 
mitted  to  the  Bishop  my  wishes  in  regard  to  the 
translation  and  printing  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  “  1 
have  already  fully  considered  the  subject,”  said  he, 
“  and  have  determined  to  superintend  the  work  myself, 
and  to  cali  the  most  learned  of  my  clergy  to  my  aid. 
It  is  a  work  which  will  illuminate  these  dark  regions, 
and  God  wdll  give  it  his  blessing.”  I  was  much  "pleas¬ 
ed  when  I  heard  this  pious  resolution  of  the  venerable 
man  ;  for  I  had  now  ascertained  that  there  are  upwards 
of  200,000  Christians  in  the  south  of  India,  besides 
the  Syrians  who  speak  the  Malabar  Language.  The 
next  subject  of  importance  in  my  mind,  was  the  col¬ 
lection  of  useful  manuscripts  in  the  Chaldaic  and  Syriac 
Languages  ;  and  the  Bishop  was  pleased  to  say  that  he 
would  jissist  my  inquiries  and  add  to  my  collection. 
He  descanted  with  great  satisfaction  on  the  hope  of 
seeing  printed  Syriac  Bibles  from  England ;  and  said 
they  would  be  “  a  treasure  to  his  Church.” 

“  Cande-nad,  24 ih  November ,  1806. 

“  Since  my  coming  amongst  this  people,  I  had  cher¬ 
ished  the  hope  that  they  might  be  one  day  united  with 
the  Church  of  England.  When  I  reflected  on  the  im¬ 
mense  power  of  the  Romish  Church  in  India,  and  on 
our  inability  to  withstand  its  influence,  alone,  it  appear¬ 
ed  to  be  an  object  of  great  consequence  to  secure  the 
aid  and  co-operation  of  the  Syrian  Church,  and  the 
sanction  of  its  antiquity  in  the  East.  I  thought  it 
might  be  serviceable,  at  least,  to  lay  such  a  foundation 
by  the  discussion  of  the  subject,  as  our  Church  might 
act  upon  hereafter,  if  she  should  think  it  expedient. 
I  was  afraid  to  mention  the  subject  to  the  Bishop  at  our 
first  interview  ;  but  he  himself  intimated  that  he  would 
be  glad  I  would  communicate  freely  upon  it  with  two 
of  his  clergy.  I  had  hitherto  observed  somewhat  of  a 
reserve  in  those  with  whom  I  had  conversed  on  this 


82 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


matter:  and  now  the  cause  was  explained.  The 
Bishop’s  chaplains  confessed  to  me  that  they  had  doubts 
as  to  the  purity  of  English  Ordination.  “  The  English,” 
said  they,  “  may  be  a  warlike  and  great  people  ;  but 
their  Church  by  your  own  account,  is  but  of  recent 
origin.  Whence  do  you  derive  your  Ordination  ?” 
From  Rome,  “  You  derive  it  from  a  Church  which  is 
our  ancient  enemy,  and  with  which  we  would  never 
unite.”  They  acknowledged  that  there  might  be  sal¬ 
vation  in  every  Church  where  “  the  name  of  Christ  was 
named  but  in  the  question  of  an  union,  i.t  was  to 
he  considered  that  they  had  existed  a  pure  Church  of 
Christ  from  the  earliest  ages,  ;  that  if  there  was  such  a 
thing  in  the  world  as  Ordination  by  the  laying  on  of 
hands,  in  succession  from  the  Apostles,  it  was  probable 
that  they  possessed  it;  that  there  was  no  record  of 
history  or  tradition  to  impeach  their  claim.  I  observed 
that  there  was  reason  to  believe  that  the  same  Ordina¬ 
tion  had  descended  from  the  Apostles  to  the  Church  of 
Rome.  “  It  might  be  so  :  but  that  Church  had  departed 
from  the  faith.”  I  answered  that  the  impurity  of  the 
channel  had  not  corrupted  the  ordinance  itself,  or  invali¬ 
dated  the  legitamacy  of  the  imposition  of  hands  ;  any 
more  than  the  wickedness  of  a  High  Priest  in  Israel 
could  disqualify  his  successors.  The  Church  of  Eng¬ 
land  assumed  that  she  derived  Apostolical  Ordination 
through  the  Church  of  Rome,  as  she  might  have  deriv¬ 
ed  it  through  the  Church  of  Antioch.  I  did  not  con¬ 
sider  that  the  Church  of  England  was  entitled  to  reck¬ 
on  her  Ordination  to  be  higher  or  more  sacred  than 
that  of  the  Syrian  Church.  This  was  the  point  upon 
which  they  wished  me  to  be  explicit.  They  expected 
that  in  any  official  negociation  on  this  subject,  the  anti¬ 
quity  and  purity  of  Syrian  Ordination  should  be  express¬ 
ly  admitted. 

“  Our  conversation  was  reported  to  the  Bishop.  He 
■wished  me  to  state  the  advantages  of  an  Union.  One  ad¬ 
vantage  would  be,  I  observed,  that  English  Clergymen, 
or  rather  Missionaries  ordained  by  the  Church  of  Eng¬ 
land,  might  be  permitted  hereafter  to  preach  in  the  nu¬ 
merous  Churches  of  the  Syrians  in  India,  and  aid  them 
in  the  promulgation  of  pure  religion,  against  the  pre- 


RESPECTING  THE  SYRIANS. 


SJ 


ponderating  and  increasing  influence  of  the  Romish 
Church  ;  And  again,  That  Ordination  by  the  Syrian 
Bishop  might  qualify  for  preaching  in  the  English 
Churches  in  India ;  for  we  had  an  immense  Empire  in 
Hindostan,  but  few  preachers  :  and  of  these  few  scarce¬ 
ly  any  could  Preach  in  the  native  languages.  The 
Bishop  said,  “  I  would  sacrifice  much  for  such  an 
Union  ;  only  let  me  not  be  called  to  compromise  any 
thing  of  the  dignity  and  purity  of  our  Church.”  I  told 
him,  we  did  not  wish  to  degrade,  we  would  rather  protect 
and  defend  it.  All  must  confess  that  it  was  Christ’s 
Church  in  the  midst  of  a  heathen  land.  The  Church 
of  England  would  be  happy  to  promote  its  welfare,  to 
revive  its  spirit,  and  to  use  it  as  an  instrument  of  future 
good  in  the  midst  of  her  own  Empire.  I  took  this  oc¬ 
casion  to  observe  that  there  were  some  rites  and  prac¬ 
tices  in  the  Syrian  Church,  which  our  Church  might 
consider  objectionable  or  nugatory.  The  Bishop 
confessed  that  some  customs  had  been  introduced  du- 
ling  their  decline  in  the  latter  centuries,  which  had  no 
necessary  connexion  with  the  constitution  of  the 
Church,  and  might  be  removed  without  inconvenience. 
He  asked  whether  I  had  authority  from  my  own 
Chiu  ch  to  make  any  proposition  to  him.  I  answered 
that  I  had  not :  that  my  own  Church  scarcely  knew  that 
the  Syrian  Church  existed  :  but  I  could  anticipate  the 
wishes  and  purposes  of  good  men.  He  thought  it 
stiange  that  there  was  no  Bishop  in  India  to  superintend 
so  large  an  Empire  :  and  said  he  did  no  perfectly  com¬ 
prehend  our  ecclesiastical  principles.  I  told  him  that 
we  had  sent  Bishcps  to  other  countries  ;  but  that  our 
Indian  Empire  was  yet  in  its  infancy.  Next  day,  the 
Bishop,  after  conferring  with  his  clergy  on  the  subject, 
returned  an  answer  in  writing  to  the  following  effect; 

I  hat  an  union  with  the  English  Church  or,  at  least, 
such  a  connexion  as  should  appear  to  both  Churches 
Practicable  and  expedient,  would  be  a  happy  event  and 
favorable  to  the  advancement  of  Religion  in  India.” 
In  making  this  communication,  he  used  his  official  de¬ 
signation,  “  Mar  Dionysius,  Metropolitan  of  Malabar.” 

I  asked  the  Bishop  if  he  would  permit  two  of  the  young 
Cassauars  to  go  to  England  to  finish  their  education, 


84 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


and  then  return  to  India.  He  said  he  should  be  very- 
happy  to  give  his  permission,  if  any  should  be  found 
who  were  willing  to  go.  I  have  accordingly  made  the 
offer  to  two  youths  of  good  abilities,  who  are  well 
skilled  in  the  Syriac  Language.” 

u  Cande-?iad,  0,5th  Arov. 

t£  The  Bishop  was  desirous  to  know  something  of  the 
other  Churches  which  had  separated  from  Rome.  I 
was  ashamed  to  tell  him  how  many  they  were.  I  men¬ 
tioned  that  there  was  a  Kashee&ha  or  Presbyter  Church 
in  our  own  kingdom,  in  which  every  Kasheesha  was 
equal  to  another.  u  Are  there  no  Shumshanas  ?”  (Dea¬ 
cons  in  holy  orders.)  None.  “  And  what,  is  there  no¬ 
body  to  overlook  the  Kasheeshas  ?”  Notone.  “There 
must  be  something  imperfect  there,”  said  he.*  This  led 
to  the  mention  of  the  different  sects.  Those  which  most 
interested  him  were  the  Quakers  and  Baptists.  He  said 
it  was  an  imposing  idea  to  wash  the  body  with  water, 
to  begin  a  new  life.  He  asked  whether  they  were  bap¬ 
tized  again  every  time  they  relapsed  into  sin  and  known 
apostasy.  “  Are  there  good  men  among  these  sects  ?” 
Excellent  men  almost  in  all.  “  I  see  it  is  with  you  as 
it  was  in  the  first  ages ;  new  sects  were  produced  by 
true  piety,  but  it  was  piety  founded  on  ignorance.  But 
do  not  good  men  in  these  sects  relax  a  little  when  they 
grow  old  ?”  Yes,  they  speak  in  general  less  frequently 
and  less  dogmatically  of  their  peculiar  forms  when  they 
are  old  :  one  reason  of  which  is,  that  the  smaller  sects, 
who  are,  for  the  most  part,  poor,  generally  acquire  their 
competence  of  learning  in  advanced  ^ife.  We  next 
had  some  conversation  concerning  forms  of  worship  ; 
whether  Christ  intended  that  his  Church  should  have 

*  It  is  proper  to  state  for  the  satisfaction  of  those  who  may  dif¬ 
fer  in  opinion  with  the  venerable  Bishop,  that  in  the  Syriac  trans¬ 
lation  of  the  New  Testament,  there  is  no  proper  word  for  Bishop 
other  than  Kasheesha.  The  words  Kasheesha  and  Shumshana,  or 
properly  Me-shumshana,  are  the  two  terms  for  the  two  orders  of 
Bishop  and  Deacon  in  the  third  chapter  of  1st  Timothy.  The 
terms  Kpiscopos  and  JWethropslita  have  been  introduced  into  the 
Syrian  Church  from  the  Greek.  The  Bishop  seemed  to  be  more 
surprised  at  the  striking  out  the  sacred  order  of  Deacon,  than  at 
tire  not  finding  the  order  of  a  superintending  Priest  or  Bishop. 


RESPECTING  THE  SYRIANS. 


85 


the  same  form  under  the  burning  line,  and  in  a  country 
of  frost  and  snow.” 


“  Udiamfier ,  Dec.  1806. 

Fi  om  Cande-nad  I  returned  to  the  sca-coast  to  visit 
Lieut.  Colonel  Macaulay,  the  British  Resident  in  Tra- 
vancore.  He  is  at  present  on  the  island  of  Bal-gatty, 
called  by  the  natives  the  Pepper  Jungle.  I  have  deriv¬ 
ed  much  valuable  information  from  this  intelligent  offi¬ 
cer,  who  possesses  a  better  knowledge  of  the  South  of 
India,  than  I  suppose,  any  other  European.  He  is  a 
gentleman  ol  a  highly  cultivated  mind,  of  much  various 
learning,  and  master  of  several  languages.  To  these 
attainments  he  adds  a  quality  which  does  not  always 
accompany  them.  He  is  the  friend  of  Christianity. 
After  residing  with  him  a  few  days,  he  accompanied  me 
in  a  Tour  to  the  interior.  We  first  visited  Udiamper, 
or  as  it  is  called  by  the  Portuguese  writers,  Diamper. 

I  his  was  formerly  the  residence  of  Beliarte,  King  of 
the  Christians  ;  and  here  is  the  Syrian  Church  at  which 
Archbishop  Menezes  from  Goa,  convened  the  Synod 
of  the  Syrian  Clergy  in  1599,  when  he  burned  the  Sy- 
uac  and  Chaldaic  books.  The  Syrians  report,  that 
while  the  flames  ascended,  he  went  round  the  Church 
in  procession,  chaunting  a  song  of  triumph. 

1 10m  L  diamper,  Colonel  Macaulay  accompanied  me 

to  Cande-nad,  to  visit  the  Syrian  Bishop  a  second  time. 
He  told  us  he  had  commenced  the  translation  of  the 
Scriptures.  <  He  was  rather  indisposed,  and  said  lie  felt 
the  infirmities  of  advanced  years,  his  age  being  now 
seventy-eight.  I  promised  to  see  him  once  more  before 
I  left  the  country.” 


“  Cranganore ,  9  th  Dec.  1806. 

“  This  is  that  celebrated  place  of  Christian  antiquity 
where  the  apostle  Thomas  is  said  to  have  landed,  when 
ie  first  a! lived  in  India  from  Aden  in  Arabia.  There 
was  formerly  a  town  and  fort  at  Cranganore,  the  Por¬ 
tuguese  having  once  thought  of  making  it  the  emporium 
of  hen.  commerce  m  India;  but  both  are  now  in  ruins, 
iluie  is  however  one  substantial  relic  of  its  greatness. 


S'S 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


There  is  an  Archbishop  of  Cranganore,  and  subject  to 
him  there  are  forty-five  Churches  ;  many  of  which  I 
entered.  In  some  of  them  the  worship  is  conducted 
with  as  much  decorum  as  in  the  Romish  Churches  of 
Western  Ireland.  Not  far  from  Cranganore  is  the  town 
of  Paro-or,  where  there  is  an  ancient  Syrian  Church, 
which  bears  the  name  of  the  Apostle  Thomas.  It  is 
supposed  to  be  the  oldestfn  Malabar,  and  is  still  used 
for  Divine  Service.  I  took  a  drawing  of  it.  The 
tradition  among  the  Syrians  is,  that  the  Apostle  contin¬ 
ued  at  this  place  for  a  time,  before  he  went  to  preach 
at  Melapoor  and  St.  Thomas’s  Mount,  on  the  coast  of 
Coromandel,  where  he  was  put  to  death.  The  fact  is 
certainly  of  little  consequence;  but  I  am  satisfied  that 
we  have  as  good  authority  for  believing  that  the  Apostle 
Thomas  died  in  India,  as  that  the  Apostle  Peter  died  at 
Rome. 

11  Vera/wli,  Dec.  1806. 

“  This  is  the  residence  of  Bishop  Raymondo,  the 
Pope’s  Apostolic  Vicar  in  Malabar.  There  is  a  Col¬ 
lege  here  for  the  sacerdotal  office,  in  which  the  Students 
(from  ten  to  twenty  in  number)  are  instructed  in  the 
Latin  and  Syriac  Languages.  At  Pulingunna  there 
is  another  College,  in  which  the  Syriac  alone  is  taught. 
Here  I  counted  twelve  Students.  The  Apostolic  Vicar 
superintends  sixty-four  Churches ;  exclusive  of  the 
forty-five  governed  by  the  Archbishop  of  Cranganore, 
and  exclusive  of  the  large  Dioceses  of  the  Bishops  of 
Cochin  and  of  Quilon,  whose  Churches  extend  to  Cape 
Comorin,  and  are  visible  from  the  sea.  The  view  of 
this  assemblage  of  Christian  congregations  excited  in 
my  mind  mingled  sensations  of  pleasure  and  regret ;  of 
pleasure  to  think  that  so  many  of  the  Hindoos  had  been 
rescued  from  the  idolatry  of  Brahma,  and  its  criminal 
worship  ;  and  of  regret  when  I  reflected  that  there  was 
not  to  be  found  among  the  whole  body,  one  copy  of  the 
Holy  Bible. 

“  The  Apostolic  Vicar  is  an  Italian,  and  corresponds 
with  the  Society  ‘  de  propaganda  Fide.’  He  is  a  man 
of  liberal  manners,  and  gave  me  free  access  to  the 
archieves  of  Verapoli,  which  are  upwards  of  two  ceu- 


$7 


Respecting  the  Syrians. 

furies  old.  In  the  library  I  found  many  volumes  mark¬ 
ed  ‘  Liber  hereticus  prohibitus.’  Every  step  I  take  in 
Christian  India,  I  meet  with  a  memento  of  the  Inquisi¬ 
tion.  1  he  Apostolical  Vicar,  however,  does  not  ac¬ 
knowledge  its  authority,  and  places  himself  under  Bri¬ 
tish  protection.  He  spoke  of  the  Inquisition  with  just 
indignation,  and,  in  the  presence  of  the  British  Resi¬ 
dent,  called  it  ‘  a  horrid  Tribunal.’  I  asked  him  wheth¬ 
er  he  thought  I  might  with  safety  visit  the  Inquisition, 
when  I  sailed  -  past  Goa;  there  being  at  this  time  a 
British  force  In  its  vicinity.  It  asserted  a  personal  ju^ 
risdiction  over  natives  who  were  now  British  subjects  : 
and  it  was  proper  the  English  Government  should 
know  something  of  its  present  state.  The  Bishop 
answered,  ‘  I  do  not  know  what  you  might  do,  under 
the  protection  of  a  British  force  ;  but  I  should  not  like 
(smiling,  and  pressing,  his  capacious  sides.)  to  trust  my 
body  in  their  hands/ 

.  \  e  then  had  some  conversation  on  the  subject  of 
giving  the  Scriptures  to  the  native  Roman  Catholics. 
I  had  heard  oeiore,  that  the  Bishop  was  by  no  means 
hostile  to  the  measure.  I  told  him  that  I  should  prob- 
aoly  find  the  means  of  translating  the  Scriptures  into 
the  Malabar  Language,  and  wished  to  know  whether 
he  had  any  objection  to  this  mode  of  illuminating  the 
ignorant  minds  of  the  native  Christians.  He  said  he 
had  none.  I  visited  the  Bishop  two  or  three  times  af¬ 
terwards.  At  our  last  interview  he  said,  ‘  I  have  been 
thinking  of  the  good  gift  you  are  meditating  for  the 
native  Christians  ;  but  believe  me,  the  Inquisition  will 
endeavor  to  counteract  your  purposes  by  every  means 
in  their  power.  I  afterwards  conversed  with  an  intelli¬ 
gent  native  Priest,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the 
state  and  character  of  the  Christians,  and  asked  him 
whether  he  thought  they  would  be  happy  to  obtain  the 
Scriptures?  ‘  \es,  answered  he,  ^  those  who  have  heard 
of  them :  I  asked  if  he  had  got  a  Bible  himself?  ‘  No/ 
he  said  ;  ‘  but  he  had  seen  one  at  Goa.’  ” 

11  •'^ngamalee,  a  Syrian  Town ,  containing  Three 

Churches ,  January ,  1807. 

I  have  penetrated  once  more  inland,  to  visit  the  Sy- 


S3 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


l’ian  Churches.  At  the  town  of  Cenotta,  I  was  sur¬ 
prised  to  meet  with  Jews  and  Christians  in  the  same 
street.  The  Jews  led  me  first  to  their  Synagogue,  and 
allowed  me  to  take  away  some  manuscripts  for  money. 
The  Syrian  Christians  then  conducted  me  to  their 
ancient  Church.  I  afterwards  sat  down  on  an  eminence 
above  the  town,  to  contemplate  this  interesting  specta¬ 
cle  ;  a  Jewish  Synagogue,  and  a  Christian  Church, 
standing  over  against  each  other ;  exhibiting,  as  it 
were,  during  many  revolving  ages,  the  Law  and  the 
Gospel  to  the  view  of  the  heathen  people. 

“  Angamalee  is  one  of  the  most  remote  of  the  Syrian 
towns  in  this  direction,  and  is  situated  on  a  high  land. 
This  was  once  the  residence  of  the  Syrian  Bishop. 
The  inhabitants  told  me,  that  when  Tipfioo  Sultan  in¬ 
vaded  Travancore,  a  detachment  of  his  Cavalry  pene¬ 
trated  to  Angamalee,  where  they  expected  to  find  great 
wealth,  from  its  ancient  fame.  Being  Mahometans, 
they  expressed  their  abhorrence  of  the  Christian  reli¬ 
gion,  by  destroying  one  of  the  lesser  Churches,  and 
stabling  their  horses  in  the  great  Church.  In  this  place 
X  have  found  a  good  many  valuable  manuscripts.  I 
had  been  led  to  suppose,  from  the  statement  of  the 
Portuguese  historians,  that  possibly  all  the  Syriac  MSS. 
of  the  Bible  had  been  burned  by  the  Romish  Church 
at  the  Synod  of  Diamper  in  1599.  But  this  wras  not 
the  case.  The  Inquisitors  condemned  many  books  to 
the  flames;  but  they  saved  the  Bible;  being  content 
to  order  that  the  Syriac  Scriptures  should  be  amended 
agreeably  to  the  Vulgate  of  Rome.  Rut  many  Bibles 
and  other  volumes  were  not  produced  at  all.  In  the 
xVcts  of  the  Council  of  Nice  it  is  recorded,  that  Johan¬ 
nes  Bishop  of  India  signed  his  name  at  that  Council 
in  a.  d.  325.  The  Syriac  version  of  the  Scriptures  was 
brought  to  India  according  to  the  popular  belief,  before 
the  year  325-  Some  of  their  present  copies  are  certainly 
of  ancient  date.  Though  written  on  a  strong  thick  pa¬ 
per,  like  that  of  some  MSS.  in  the  British  Museum, 
commonly  called  Eastern  paper,  the  ink  has,  in  several 
places,  eat  through  the  material  in  the  exact  form  of 
the  letter.  In  other  copies,  where  the  ink  had  less  of 
a  corroding  quality,  it  has  fallen  off,  and  left  a  dark  ves- 


RESPECTING  THE  SYRIANS. 


89- 


tige  of  the  letter,  faint  indeed,  but  not,  in  general,  ille¬ 
gible.  There  is  a  volume,  which  was  deposited  in  one 
of  the  remote  Churches,  near  the  mountains,  which 
merits  a  particular  description.  It  contains  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments,  engrossed  on  strong  vellum,  in  large 
folio,  having  three  columns  in  a  page  ;  and  is  written 
with  beautiful  accuracy.  The  character  is  Estrangelo 
Syriac,  and  the  words  of  every  book  are  numbered. 
But  the  volume  has  suffered  injury  from  time  or  neg¬ 
lect.  In  certain  places  the  ink  has  been  totally  oblite¬ 
rated  from  the  page,  and  left  the  parchment  in  its  state 
of  natural  whiteness  :  but  the  letters  can,  in  general,  be 
distinctly  traced  from  the  impress  of  the  pen,  or  from 
the  partial  corrosion  of  the  ink.  I  scarcely  expected 
that  the  Syrian  Church  v.’ould  have  parted  with  this 
manuscript.  But  the  Bishop  was  pleased  to  present  it 
to  me,  saying,  ‘  It  will  be  safer  in  your  hands  than  in 
our  own  alluding  to  the  revolutions  in  Hindostan. 

‘  And  vet,’  said  he,  ‘  we  have  kept  it,  as  some  think,  for 
near  a  thousand  years.’  ‘  I  wish,’  said  I,  ‘  that  England 
may  be  aide  to  keep  it  a  thousand  years.’  In  looking 
over  it,  I  find  the  very  first  proposed  emendation  of  the 
Hebrew  Text  by  Dr.  Kennicott  (Gen.  iv,  8,)  in  this 
manuscript;  and,  no  doubt,  it  is  the  right  reading.  The 
disputed  passage  in  1  John  v,  7,  is  not  to  be  found  in 
it ;  nor  is  this  verse  to  be  found  in  any  copy  of  the  Sy¬ 
riac  Scriptures  which  I  have  yet  seen.  But  notwith¬ 
standing  this  omission,  and  notwithstanding  the  great 
display  of  learning  in  maintaining  a  contrary  opinion,  I 
believe  the  passage  to  be  genuine.  The  view  of  these 
copies  of  the  Scriptures,  and  of  the  Churches  which 
contain  them,  still  continues  to  excite  a  pleasing  as¬ 
tonishment  in  my  mind  :  and  I  sometimes  question  my¬ 
self,  whether  I  am  indeed  inTndia,  in  the  midst  of  the 
Hindoos,  and  not  far  from  the  equinoctial  line.  How 
wonderful  it  is,  that,  during  the  dark  ages  of  Europe, 
whilst  ignorance  and  superstition,  in  a  manner,  denied 
the  Scriptures  to  the  rest  of  the  world,  the  Bible  should 
have  found  an  assylum  in  the  mountains  of  Malay -ala  ; 
where  it  was  freely  read  by  upwards  of  an  hundred 
Churches  ! 

But  there  are  other  ancient  documents  in  Malabar.) 

H  2 


90 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


not  less  interesting  than  the  Syrian  Manuscripts.  The 
old  Portuguese  historians  relate,  that  soon  after  the  ar¬ 
rival  of  their  countrymen  in  India,  about  300  years 
ago,  the  Syrian  Bishop  of  Angamalee  (the  place  where 
I  now  am)  deposited  in  the  Fort  of  Cochin,  for  safe 
custody,  certain  tablets  of  brass,  on  which  were  en¬ 
graved  rights  of  nobility,  and  other  privileges  granted 
by  a  Prince  of  a  former  age  ;  and  that  while  these  Tab¬ 
lets  were  under  the  charge  of  the  Portuguese,  they  had 
been  unaccountably  lost,  and  were  never  after  heard  of. 
Adrian  Moens,  a  Governor  of  Cochin  in  1770,  who 
published  some  account  of  the  Jews  of  Malabar,  in¬ 
forms  us  that  he  used  every  means  in  his  power,  for 
many  years,  to  obtain  a  sight  of  the  famed  Christian 
Plates;  and  was  at  length  satisfied  that  they  were  irre¬ 
coverably  lost,  or  rather,  he  adds,  that  they  never  existed. 
The  Learned  in  general,  and  the  Antiquarian  in  partic¬ 
ular,  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  these  ancient  Tablets 
have  been  recovered  within  this  last  month  by  the  ex¬ 
ertions  of  Lieutenant  Colonel  Macaulay,  the  British 
Resident  in  Travancore,  and  are  now  officially  deposit¬ 
ed  with  that  Officer. 

u  The  Christian  Tablets  are  six  in  number.  They 
are  composed  of  a  mixed  metal.  The  engraving  on 
the  largest  plate  is  thirteen  inches  long,  by  about  four 
broad.  They  arc  closely  written,  four  of  them  on  both 
sides  of  the  plate,  making  in  all  eleven  pages.  On  the 
plate  reputed  to  be  the  oldest,  there  is  writing  perspic¬ 
uously  engraved  in  nail-headed  or  triangular  headed 
letters,  resembling  the  Perse/iolitan  or  Babylonish.  On 
the  same  plate  there  is  writing  in  another  character, 
which  is  supposed  to  have  no  affinity  with  any  existing 
character  in  Hindostan.  The  grant  on  this  plate  ap¬ 
pears  to  be  witnessed  by  four  Jews  of  rank,  whose 
names  are  distinctly  engraved  in  an  old  Hebrew  char¬ 
acter,  resembling  the  alphabet  called  the  Palmyrene  : 
and  to  each  name  is  prefixed  the  title  of  “  Magen ”  or 
Chief,  as  the  Jews  translated  it.  It  may  be  doubted, 
whether  there  exist  in  the  world  many  documents  of 
so  great  length,  which  are  of  equal  antiquity,  and  in 
such  faultless  preservation,  as  the  Christian  Tablets  of 
Malabar.  The  Jews  of  Cochin  indeed  contest  the  palm 


RESPECTING  THE  SYRIANS. 


.91 


of  antiquity :  for  they  also  produce  two  Tablets,  con¬ 
taining  privileges  granted  at  a  remote  period  ;  of  which 
they  presented  to  me  a  Hebrew  translation.  As  no 
person  can  be  found  in  this  country  who  is  able  to 
translate  tbe  Christian  Tablets,  I  have  directed  an  en¬ 
graver  at  Cochin  to  execute  a  copper-plate  fac-simile  of 
the  whole,  for  the  purpose  of  transmitting  copies  to  the 
learned  Societies  in  Asia  and  Europe.  The  Christian 
and  Jewish  plates  together  make  fourteen  pages.  A 
copy  was  sent  in  the  first  instance  to  the  Pundits  of  the 
Shanscrit  College  at  Trichiur,  by  direction  of  the  Ra¬ 
jah  of  Cochin  ;  but  they  could  not  read  the  character.* 
From  this  place  I  proceed  to  Cande-nad,  to  visit  the 
Bishop  once  more  before  I  return  to  Bengal.” 

THE  MALABAR  BIBLE. 

After  the  Author  left  Travancore,  the  Bishop  prose¬ 
cuted  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  the  Mala^ 
bar  Language  without  intermission,  until  he  had  com¬ 
pleted  the  New  Testament.  The  year  following,  the 
Author  visited  Travancore  a  second  time,  and  carried 
the  Manuscripts  to  Bombay  to  be  printed  !  an  excel¬ 
lent  fount  of  Malabar  types  having  been  recently  cast 
at  that  place.  Learned  natives  went  from  Travancore 
to  superintend  the  press  ;  and  it  is  probable  that  it  is. 
now  nearly  finished,  as  a  copy  of  the  Gospels  of  St. 
Matthew  and  St.  Mark,  beautifully  printed,  was  re¬ 
ceived  in  England  some  time  ago.  This  version  of 
the  Scriptures  will  be  prosecuted  until  the  whole  Bible 
is  completed,  and  copies  circulated  throughout  the 
Christian  regions  of  Malabar. 

THE  SYRIAC  BIBLE. 

It  has  been  further  in  contemplation  to  print  an  edi¬ 
tion  of  tbe  Syriac  Scriptures,  if  the  public  should 

♦  Most  of  the  Manuscripts  which  T  collected  among  the  Syrian 
Christians,  I  have  presented  to  the  University  of  Cambridge;  and 
they  are  now  deposited  in  the  Public  Library  of  that  University" 
together  with  the  copper-plate  fac-similes  of  the  Christian  and' 
Jewish  Tablets. 


52 


-  CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES. 


countenance  the  design.  This  gift,  it  may  be  presum¬ 
ed,  the  English  nation  will  be  pleased  to  present  to 
the  Syrian  Christians.  We  are  already  debtors  to  that 
ancient  people.  They  have  preserved  the  manuscripts 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures  incorrupt,  during  a  long  series 
of  ages,  and  have  now  committed  them  into  our  own 
hands.  By  their  long  and  energetic  defence  of  pure 
doctrine  against  anti-christian  error,  they  are  entitled 
to  the  gratitude  and  thanks  of  the  rest  of  the  Chris¬ 
tian  world.  Further,  they  have  preserved  to  this  day 
the  language  in  which  our  blessed  Lord  preached  to 
men  the  glad  tidings  of  Salvation.  Their  Scriptures, 
their  doctrine,  their  language,  in  short  their  very  ex¬ 
istence,  all  add  something  to  the  evidence  of  the  truth 
of  Christianity. 

The  motives  then  for  printing  an  edition  of  the  Sy¬ 
riac  Bible  are  these  : 

1.  To  do  honor  to  the  language  which  was  spoken 
by  our  blessed  Saviour  when  upon  earth. 

2.  To  do  honor  to  that  ancient  Church,  which  has 
preserved  his  language  and  his  doctrine. - 

3.  As  the  means  of  perpetuating  the  true  Faith  in 
the  same  Church  for  ages  to  come. 

4.  As  the  means  of  preserving  the  pronunciation, 
and  of  cultivating  the  knowledge  of  the  Syriac  Language 
in  the  East ;  and 

5.  As  the  means  of  reviving  the  knowledge  of  the  Syr¬ 
iac  Language  in  our  own  nation. 

On  the  Author’s  return  to  England,  he  could  not 
find  one  copy  of  the  Syriac  Bible  in  a  separate  volume 
for  sale  in  the  kingdom.  He  wished  to  send  a  copy  to 
the  Syrian  Bishop,  as  an  earnest  of  more,  when  an  edi¬ 
tion  should  be  printed. 

The  Syriac  Bible  is  wanted  not  only  by  the  Churches 
of  the  Syrian  Christians,  but  by  the  still  more  nume¬ 
rous  Churches  of  the  Syro-Romish  Christians  in  Mal¬ 
abar,  who  also  use  the  Syriac  Language. 

THE  ROMISH  CHRISTIANS  IN  INDIA. 

In  every  age  of  the  Church  of  Rome  there  have  been 
individuals,  of  an  enlightened  piety,  who  derived  them 


THE  ROMISH  CHRISTIANS. 


93 


religion  not  from  “  the  commandments  of  men,”  but 
from  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible.  There  are  at  this 
day,  in  India  and  in  England,  members  of  that  com¬ 
munion,  who  deserve  the  affection  and  respect  of  all 
good  men  ;  and  whose  cultivated  minds  will  arraign 
the  corruptions  of  their  own  religion,  which  the  Au¬ 
thor  is  about  to  describe,  more  severely  than  he  will 
permit  himself  to  do.  He  is  indeed  prepared  to  speak 
of  Roman  Catholics  with  as  much  liberality  as  per¬ 
haps  any  Protestant  has  ever  attempted  on  Christian 
principles  :  for  he  is  acquainted  with  individuals,  whose 
unaffected  piety  he  considers  a  reproach  to  a  great 
body  of  Protestants,  even  of  the  strictest  sort.  It  is 
indeed  painful  to  say  any  thing  which  may  seem  to 
feeling  and  noble  minds  ungenerous  ;  but  those  enlight¬ 
ened  persons,  whose  good  opinion  it  is  desirable  to 
preserve,  will  themselves  be  pleased  to  see  that  truth 
is  not  sacrificed  to  personal  respect,  or  to  a  spurious 
candor.  Their  own  Church  sets  an  exampie  of  “  plain¬ 
ness  of  speech”  in  the  assertion  of  those  tenets  which 
it  professes,  some  of  which  must  be  extremely  painful 
to  the  feeling  of  Protestants,  in  their  social  intercourse 
with  Catholics;  such  as,  “  That  there  is  no  salvation 
out  of  the  pale  of  the  Romish  Church.” 

This  exclusive  character  prevents  concord  and  in¬ 
timacy  between  Protestant  and  Catholic  families. 
On  the  principles  of  Infidelity  they  can  associate  very 
easily ;  but  on  the  principles  of  Religion,  the  Protest¬ 
ant  must  ever  be  on  the  defensive  :  for  the  Romish 
Church  excommunicates  him  :  and  although  he  must 
hope  that  some  individuals  do  not  maintain  the  tenet, 
yet  his  uncertainty  as  to  the  fact  prevents  that  cordial¬ 
ity  which  he  desires.  Many  excellent  Catholics  suffer 
unjustly  in  their  intercourse  with  Protestants,  from 
the  ancient  and  exclusive  articles  of  their  own  Church, 
which  they  themselves  neither  profess  nor  believe.  If 
they  will  only  intimate  to  their  Protestant  friends,  that 
they  renounce  the  exclusive  principle, and  that  they  pro¬ 
fess  the  religion  of  the  Bible,  no  more  seems  requisite 
to  form  with  such  persons  the  sincerest  friendship  on 
Christian  principles. 

At  the  present  time  we  see  the  Romish  Religion  in, 


5  A 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES. 


Europe  without  dominion  !  and  hence  it  is  viewed  by 
the  mere  philosopher  with  indifference  or  contempt. 
He  is  pleased  to  see  that  the  “  seven  heads  and  the  ten 
horns”  are  taken  away ;  and  thinks  nothing  of  the 
“  names  of  blasphemy.”  Butin  the  following  pages,  the 
Author  will  have  occasion  to  shew  what  Rome  is,  as 
having  dominion  ;  and  possessing  it  too  within  the 
boundaries  of  the  British  Empire. 

In  passing  through  the  Romish  Provinces  in  the 
East,  though  the  Author  had  before  heard  much  of  the 
Papal  corruptions,  he  certainly  did  not  expect  to  see 
Christianity  in  the  degraded  state  in  which  he  found 
it.  Of  the  Priests  it  may  tnvly  be  said,  that  they  are, 
in  general,  better  acquainted  with  the  Veda  of  Brahma 
than  with  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  In  some  places 
the  doctrines  of  both  are  blended.  At  Aughoor, 
situated  between  Tritchinopoly  and  Madura,  he  wit¬ 
nessed  (in  October  1806)  the  Tower  of  Juggernaut 
employed  to  solemnize  a  Christian  festival.  The  old 
Priest  Josephus  accompanied  him,  when  he  surveyed 
the  idolatrous  car  and  its  painted  figures,  and  gave 
him  a  particular  account  of  the  various  cereVnonics 
which  are  performed,  seemingly  unconscious  himself 
of  any  impropriety  in  them.  The  Author  went  with 
him  afterwards  into  the  Church,  and  seeing  a  book  lying 
on  the  Altar  opened  it ,  but  the  reader  may  judge  of 
his  surprise,  when  he  found  it  was  a  Syriac  volume, 
and  was  informed  that  the  Priest  himself  was  a  de¬ 
scendant  of  the  Syrian  Christians,  and  belonged  to  what 
is  now  called  the  Syro-Roman  Church,  the  whole  ser¬ 
vice  of  which  is  in  Syriac.  Thus,  by  the  intervention 
of  the  Papal  power,  are  the  ceremonies  of  Moloch  con¬ 
secrated  in  a  manner  by  the  sacred  Syriac  Language. 
What  a  heavy  responsibility  lies  on  Rome,  for  having 
thus  corrupted  and  degraded  that  pure  and  ancient 
Church  ! 

While  the  Author  viewed  these  Christian  corrup¬ 
tions  in  different  places,  and  in  different  forms,  he  was 
always  referred  to  the  Inquisition  at  Goa,  as  the  foun¬ 
tain-head.  He  had  long  cherished  the  hope,  that  he 
should  be  able  to  visit  Goa  before  he  left  India.  His 
chief  objects  were  the  following,: 


THE  ROMISH  CHRISTIANS. 


95 


1.  To  ascertain  whether  the  Inquisition  actually  re¬ 
fused  to  recognize  the  Bible, among  the  Romish  Church¬ 
es  in  British  India. 

2.  To  inquire  into  the  state  and  jurisdiction  of  the  In¬ 
quisition,  particularly  as  it  affected  British  subjects. 

3.  To  learn  what  was  the  system  of  education  for  the 
Priesthood ;  and 

4.  To  examine  the  ancient  Church-libraries  in  Goa, 
which  were  said  to  contain  all  the  books  of  the  first 
printing. 

Pie  will  select  from  his  Journal,  in  this  place,  chiefly 
what  relates  to  the  Inquisition.  He  had  learnt  from 
every  quarter,  that  this  tribunal,  formerly  so  well 
known  for  its  frequent  burnings,  was  still  in  operation, 
though  under  some  restrictions  as  to  the  fiublicity  of 
its  proceedings  ;  and  that  its  power  extended  to  the 
extreme  boundary  in  Hindostan.  That,  in  the  present 
civilized  state  of  Christian  nations  in  Europe,  an  In¬ 
quisition  should  exist  at  all  under  their  authority,  ap¬ 
peared  strange  ;  but  that  a  Papal  tribunal  of  this  char¬ 
acter  should  exist  under  the  implied  toleration  and 
countenance  of  the  British  Government ;  that  Chris¬ 
tians,  being  subjects  to  the  British  Empire,  and  inhab¬ 
iting  the  British  territories,  should  be  amenable  to  its 
power  and  jurisdiction,  was  a  statement  which  seem¬ 
ed  to  be  scarcely  credible ;  but,  if  true,  a  fact  which 
demanded  the  most  public  and  solemn  representation. 

Goa,  Convent  of  the  Augustinians, 

-  .  Jan .  23,  1808. 

“  On  roy  arrival  at  Goa,  I  was  received  into  the  house 
<>f  Captain  Schuyler,  the  British  Resident.  The  Brit¬ 
ish  force  here  is  commanded  by  Colonel  Adams,  of  Plis 
Majesty’s  78th  Regiment,  with  whom  I  was  formerly 
well  acquainted  in  Bengal.*  Next  day  I  was  introdu¬ 
ced  by  these  gentlemen  to  the  Vice-Roy  of  Goa,  the 
Count  de  Cabral.  I  intimated  to  Plis  Excellency  my 
wish  to  sail  up  the  river  to  Old  Goa,f  (where  the  In- 

.  *  T!:e  forts  in  the  harbour  of  Goa  were  then  occupied  by  Brit¬ 
ish  troops  (two  King’s  regiments,  and  two  regiments  of  Native 
W  fan  try)  to  prevent  its  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  French 
f  There  is  Oid  and  New  Goa.  The  old  city  is  about  eight 


96 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES. 


quisition  is,)  to  which  he  politely  acceded.  Major 
Pareira,  of  the  Portuguese  establishment,  who  was  pre¬ 
sent,  and  \o  whom  I  had  letters  of  introduction  from 
Bengal,  offered  to  accompany  me  to  the  city,  and  to  in¬ 
troduce  me  to  the  Archbishop  of  Goa,  the  Primate  of 
the  Orient. 

“  I  had  communicated  to  Colonel  Adams,  and  to  the 
British  Resident,  my  purpose  of  inquiring  into  the  state 
of  the  Inquisition.  These  gentlemen  informed  me, that 
I  should  not  be  able  to  accomplish  my  design  without 
difficulty ;  since  every  thing  relating  to  the  Inquisition 
was  conducted  in  a  very  secret  manner,  the  most  res¬ 
pectable  of  the  Lay  Portuguese  themselves  being  igno¬ 
rant  of  its  proceedings;  and  that,  if  the  Priests  were  to 
discover  my  object,  their  excessive  jealousy  and  alarm 
would  prevent  their  communicating  with  me,  or  satisfy¬ 
ing  my  inquiries  on  any  subject. 

“  On  receiving  this  intelligence,  I  perceived  that  it 
would  be  necessary  to  proceed  with  caution.  I  was, 
in  fact,  about  to  visit  a  republic  of  Priests :  whose  do¬ 
minion  had  existed  for  nearly  three  centuries  ;  whose 
province  it  was  to  prosecute  heretics,  and  particularly 
the  teachers  of  heresy  ;  and  from  whose  authority  and 
sentence  there  was  no  appeal  in  India.* 

“  It  happened  that  Lieutenant  Kempthorne,  Com¬ 
mander  of  His  Majesty’s  brig  Diana,  a  distant  con¬ 
nexion  of  my  own,  was  at  this  time  in  the  harbour.  On 
his  learning  that  I  meant  to  visit  Old  Goa,  he  offered 
to  accompany  me  ;  as  did  Captain  Stirling,  of  His 

miles  up  the  river.  The  Vice-Roy  and  the  chief  Portuguese  in¬ 
habitants  reside  at  New  Goa,  which  is  at  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
within  the  forts  of  the  harbour.  The  old  city,  where  the  Inqui¬ 
sition  and  the  Churches  are,  is  now  almost  entirely  deserted  by 
the  secular  Portuguese,  and  is  inhabited  by  the  Priests  alone. 
The  unhealthiness  of  the  place,  and  the  ascendancy  of  the  Priests, 
are  the  causes  assigned  for  abandoning  the  ancient  city. 

*  I  was  informed  that  the  Vice-Roy  of  Goa  has  no  authority 
over  the  Inquisition,  and  that  he  himself  is  liable  to  its  censuie. 
Were  the  British  Government,  for  instance,  to  prefer  a  complaint 
against  the  Inquisition  to  the  Portuguese  Government  at  Goa,  it 
could  obtain  no  redress.  By  the  very  constitution  of  the  Inquisi¬ 
tion,  there  is  no  power  in  India  which  can  invade  Us  jurisdiction >, 
or  even  put  a  question  to  it  on  any^ubjcct. 


THE  ROMISH  CHRISTIANS. 


97 


Majesty’s  84th  regiment,  which  is  now  stationed  at  the 
forts. 

“  We  proceeded  up  the  river  in  the  British  Resident’s 
barge,  accompanied  by  Major  Pareira,  who  was  Avell 
qualified,  by  a  thirty  years’  residence,  to  give  informa¬ 
tion  concerning  local  circumstances.  From  him  I 
learned  thatthere  were  upwards  of  two  hundred  Church¬ 
es  and  Chapels  in  the  province  of  Goa,  and  upwards  of 
two  thousand  Priests. 

,  “  °u  our  arrival  at  the  city,*  it  was  past  twelve 
o  clock  :  all  the  Churches  were  shut,  and  we  were  told 
that  they  would  not  be  opened  again  till  two  o’clock. 
1  mentioned  to  Major  Pareira,  that  I  intended  to  stay  at 
Old  Goa  some  days  ;  and  that  I  should  be  obliged  to 
lnm  to  find  me  a  place  to  sleep  in.  He  seemed  sur¬ 
prised  at  this  intimation,  and  observed  that  it  would  be 
difficult  for  me  to  obtain  a  reception  in  any  of  the 
Churches  or  Convents,  and  that  there  were  no  private 
houses  into  which  I  could  be  admitted.  I  said  I  could 
sleep  any  where  ;  I  had  two  servants  with  me,  and  a 
travelling  bed.  When  he  perceived  that  I  was  serious 
m  my  purpose,  he  gave  directions  to  a  civil  officer,  in 
tnat  place,  to  clear  out  a  room  in  a  building  which  had 
been  long  uninhabited,  and  which  was  then  used  as  a 
warehouse  for  goods.  Matters  at  this  time  presented 
a  very  gloomy  appearance  ;  and  I  had  thoughts  of  re¬ 
turning  with  my  companions  from  this  inhospitable 
place.  In  the  mean  time  we  sat  down  in  the  room  I 
have  just  mentioned,  to  take  some  refreshment,  while 
Major  Pareira  went  to  call  on  some  of  his  friends. 
During  this  interval,  I  communicated  to  Lieutenant 
Xempthorne  the  object  of  my  visit.  I  had  in  mypock- 


Sfattle  f>fCr  ere(I  ,tlie,,citv  by  die  palace  gate,  over  which  is  the 
Statue  of  f  asco  <Ie  Gama,  who  first  opened  India  to  the  view  of 

^  Callcut.'.  a.  few  weeks  before,  the  ruins  of 

n  e  a  ?C6’  5vh,c!l  Vasco  de  Gama  was  first  re- 
ce.ved.  t  he  Samor.n  was  the  first  native  Prince  against  whom 
the  Europeans  made  war.  The  empire  of  the  Samorin  has  pas¬ 
sed  away  ;  and  the  empire  of  his  conquerors  lias  passed  away  - 
and  now  imperial  Britain  exercises  dominion.  May  imperial 

Wien"  ?  Pr£predJ t0  give  a  good  account  of  her  stewardship, 
Avhen  shall  be  said  unto  her,  “  Thou  mayest  be  no  longer  stew 


I 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES, 


93 


et  ‘  Delion’s  Account  of  the  Inquisition  at  Goa;’t  and 
I  mentioned  some  particulars.  While  we  were  con¬ 
versing  on  the  subject,  the  great  bell  of  the  Cathedral 
began  to  toll;  the  same  which  Dellon  observes  always 
tolls,  before  day-light,  on  the  morning  of  the  Auto  da 
Fe.  I  did  not  myself  ask  any  questions  of  the  people 
concerning  the  Inquisition;  but  Mr.  Kempthorne  made 
inquiries  for  me  :  and  he  soon  found  out  that  the  Santa 
Casa,  or  Holy  Office,  was  close  to  the  house  where  we 
were  then  sitting.  The  gentlemen  went  to  the  window 
to  view  the  horrid  mansion  ;  and  I  could  see  the  indig¬ 
nation  of  free  and  enlightened  men  arise  in  the  counte¬ 
nances  of  the  two  British  officers,  while  they  contem¬ 
plated  a  place  where  formerly  their  own  countrymen 
were  condemned  to  the  flames,  and  into  which  they 
themselves  might  now  suddenly  be  thrown,  without 
the  possibility  of  rescue. 

«  At  two  o’clock  we  went  out  to  view  the  Churches, 
which  were  now  open  for  the  afternoon  service  ;  for 
there  are  regular  daily  masses  ;  and  the  bells  began  to 
assail  the  ear  in  every  quarter. 

“  The  magnificence  of  the  Churches  of  Goa  far  ex¬ 
ceeded  any  idea  I  had  formed  from  the  previous  de¬ 
scription.  Goa  is  properly  a  city  of  Churches  ;  and  the 
wealth  of  provinces  seems  to  have  been  expended  in 
their  erection.  The  ancient  specimens  of  architecture 
at  this  place  far  excel  any  thing  that  has  been  attempt¬ 
ed  in  modern  times  in  any  other  part  of  the  East,  both 
in  grandeur  and  in  taste.  The  Chapel  of  the  Palace  is 
built  after  the  plan  of  St.  Peter’s  at  Rome,  and  is  said 
to  be  an  accurate  model  of  that  paragon  of  architecture. 
The  Church  of  St.  Dominic,  the  founder  of  the  Inqui¬ 
sition,  is  decorated  with  paintings  of  Italian  masters. 
St.  Francis  Xavier  lies  enshrined  in  a  monument  of  ex¬ 
quisite  art,  and  his  coffin  is  enchased  with  silver  and 
precious  stones.  The  Cathedral  of  Goa  is  worthy  of  one 
of  the  principal  cities  of  Europe  ;  and  the  Church  and 

|  Monsieur  Dellon,  a  physician,  was  imprisoned  in  the  dun¬ 
geon  of  the  Inquisition  at  Goa  for  two  years,  and  witnessed  an 
Auto  da  Fe,  when  some  heritics  were  burned ;  at  which  time  he 
walked  barefoot.  After  his  release  he  wrote  the  history  of  his 
oonfiiiemeut.  His  descriptions  are  in  general  very  accurate. 


THE  ROMISII  CHRISTIANS. 


Convent  of  the  Augustinians  (in  which  I  now  reside)  is 
a  noble  pile  of  buildings,  situated  on  an  eminence,  and 
has  a  magnificent  appearance  from  afar. 

“  But  what  a  contrast  to  all  this  grandeur  of  the 
Churches  is  the  worship  offered  in  them  !  I  have  been 
present  at  the  service  in  one  or  other  of  the  Chapels 
every  day  since  I  arrived  ;  and  I  seldom  see  a  single 
worshipper,  but  the  ecclesiastics.  Two  rows  of  native 
Priests,  kneeling  in  order  before  the  altar,  clothed  in 
coarse  black  garments,  of  sickly  appearance  and  vacant 
countenance,  perform  here,  from  day  to  day,  their  la¬ 
borious  masses,  seemingly  unconscious  of  any  other 
duty  or  obligation  of  life. 

“  1  he  day  was  now  far  spent,  and  my  companions 
veie  about  to  leave  me.  ^Vhile  I  was  considering 
whether  I  should  return  with  them,  Major  Pareira  said 
he  would  first  introduce  me  to  a  Priest,  high  in  office, 
and  one  ol  the  most  learned  men  in  the  place.  We 
accordingly  walked  to  the  Convent  of  the  Augustinians, 
where  I  was  presented  to  Josephus  a  Doloribus,  a  man 
well  advanced  in  life,  of  pale  visage  and  penetrating  eye, 
rather  of  a  reverend  appearance^  and  possessing  e-reat 
fluency  of  speech  and  urbanity  of  manners.  At  first 
sight  he  presented  the  aspect  of  one  of  those  acute  and 
prudent  men  of  the  world,  the  learned  and  respectable 
Italian  Jesuits,  some  of  whom  are  yet  found,  since  the 
demolition  of  their  order,  reposing  in  tranquil  obscuri¬ 
ty,  in  different  parts  of  the  East.  After  half  an  hour’s 
conversation  in  the  Latin  language,  during  which  he 
adverted  rapidly  to  a  variety  of  subjects,  and  inquired 
concerning  some  learned  men  of  his  own  Church,  whom 
1  had  vistted  in  my  tour,  he  politely  invited  me  to  take 
up  my  residence  with  him,  during  my  stay  at  Old  Goa. 
I  was  highly  gratified  by  this  unexpected  invitation  ;  but 
Lieutenant  Ivempthorne  did  not  approve  of  leaving  me 
in  tlie  hands  of  the  Inquisitor.  Forjudge  of  our  sur¬ 
prise,  when  we  discovered  that  my  learned  host  was 
one  of  the  Inquisitors  of  the  Holy  office,  the  second 
member  of  that  august  tribunal  in  rank,  but  the  first 
and  most  active  agent  in  the  business  of  the  department 
Apartments  were  assigned  to  me  in  the  College  adjoin¬ 
ing  the  Convent,  next  to  the  rooms  of  the  Inquisitor, 


100 


CHRISTIAN’  RESEARCHES. 


himself ;  and  here  I  have  been  now  four  days  at  the  very 
fountain-head  of  information,  in  regard  to  those  subjects 
which  I  wished  to  investigate.  I  breakfast  and  dine 
with  the  Inquisitor  almost  every  day,  and  he  generally 
passes  his  evenings  in  my  apartment.  Ashe  considers 
my  inquiries  to  be  chiefly  of  a  literary  nature,  he  is 
perfectly  candid  and  communicative  on  all  subjects. 

“  Next  day  after  my  arrival,  I  was  introduced  by  my 
learned  conductor  to  the  Archbishop  of  Goa.  We 
found  him  reading  the  Latin  Letters  of  St.  Francis 
Xavier.  On  my  adverting  to  the  long  duration  of  the 
city  of  Goa,  while  other  cities  of  Europeans  in  India 
had  suffered  from  war  or  revolution,  the  Archbishop 
observed,  that  the  preservation  of  Goa,  was  ‘  owing  to 
the  prayers  of  St.  Francis  Xavier.’  The  Inquisitor 
looked  at  me  to  see  what  1  thought  of  this  sentiment. 
I.  acknowledged  that  Xavier  was  considered  by  the 
learned  among  the  English  to  have  been  a  great  man. 
What  he  wrote  himself  bespeaks  him  a  man  of  learn¬ 
ing,  of  original  genius,  and  great  fortitude  of  mind  ^  but 
what  others  have  written  for  him  and  of  him  lias  tar¬ 
nished  his  fame,  by  making  him  the  inventor  of  fables. 
The  Archbishop  signified  his  assent.  Fie  afterwards 
conducted  me  into  his  private  Chapel,  which  is  decor¬ 
ated  with  images  of  silver,  and  then  into  the  Archiepis- 
copal  Library,  which  possesses  a  valuable  collection  of 
books.  As  I  passed  through  our  Convent,  in  return¬ 
ing  from  the  Archbishop’s,  I  observed  among  the  paint¬ 
ings  in  the  cloisters  a  portrait  of  the  famous  Alexis  de 
Menezes,  Archbishop  of  Goa,  who  held  the  Synod  of 
Diamper  near  Cochin  in  1599,  and  burned  the  books  of 
the  Syrian  Christians.  From  the  inscription  underneath 
1  learned  that  he  was  the  founder  of  the  magnificent 
Church  and  Convent  in  which  I  am  now  residing.” 

“  On  the  same  day  I  received  an  invitation  to  dine 
with  the  chief  Inquisitor,  at  his  house  in  the  country. 
The  second  inquisitor  accompanied  me,  and  we  found 
a  respectable  company  of  Priests,  and  a  sumptuous  en¬ 
tertainment.  In  the  library  of  the  chief  Inquisitor  I 
saw  a  register  containing  the  present  establishment  of 
the  Inquisition  at  Goa,  and  the  names  of  all  the  officers. 
On  my  asking  the  chief  Inquisitor  whether  the  estate 


THE  ROMISH  CHRISTIANS. 


101 


lishment  was  as  extensive  as  formerly,  he  said  it  was 
neai  ly  the  same.  I  had  hitherto  said  little  to  any  per¬ 
son  concerning  the  Inquisition,  but  I  had  indirectly 
gleaned  much  information  concerning  it,  not  only  from 
the  Inquisitors  themseives,  but  from  certain  Priests, 
m  horn  I  visited  at  their  respective  convents ;  particu- 
laily  irom  a  Father  in  the  Franciscan  Convent,  who 
had  himself  repeatedly  witnessed  an  Auto  da  Fe.” 

“  Goai  -Augustinian  Convent ,  26 th  Jan.  1808. 

c‘  On  Sunday,  after  Divine  service,  which  I  attended, 
we  looked  over  together,  the  prayers  and  portions  of 
Sciiptuie  for  the  day,  which  led  to  a  discussion  con¬ 
cerning  some  of  the  doctrines  of  Christianity.  We 
then  read  the  third  chapter  of  St.  John’s  Gospel,  in  the 
Latin  Vulgate. .  I  asked  the  Inquisitor  whether  he  be¬ 
lieved  in  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  there  spoken  of. 
He  distinctly  admitted  it;  conjointly  however  he 
thought,  in  some  obscure  sense,  with  water.  I  ob¬ 
served  that  water  was  merely  an  emblem  of  the  puri- 
lying  effects  of  the  Spirit,  and  could  be  but  an  emblem. 
We  next  adverted  to  the  expression  of  St.  John  in  his 
flrst  Lpistle  ;  ‘  1  his  is  he  that  came  by  water  and  blood  : 
even  Jesus  Christ ;  not  by  water  only,  but  by  water  and 
blood  blood  to  atone  for  sin,  and  water  to  purify  the 
heart ;  justification  and  sanctification  :  both  of  which 
were  expressed  at  the  same  moment  on  the  Cross.  The 
Inquisitoi  was  pleased  with  the  subject.  I  referred  to 
the  evangelical  doctrines  of  Augustin  (we  were  now  in 
the  Augustinian  Convent)  plainly  asserted  by  that  Fa- 
diei  in  a  thousand  places,  and  he  acknowledged  their 
truth.  I  then  asked  him  in  what  important  doctrine 
ne  differed  from  the  Protestant  Church?  He  confessed 
that  he  never  had  a  theological  discussion  with  a  prot- 
cstant  before.  By  an  easy  transition  we  passed  to  the 
importance  of  the  Bible  itself,  to  illuminate  the  priests 
and  people.  I  noticed  to  him  tliat  after  looking  through 
the  colleges  and  schools,  there  appeared  to  me  to  be  a 
total  eclipse  of  Scriptural  light.  lie  acknowledged  that 
religion  and  learning  were  truly  in  a  degraded  state" 
Lhad  visited  the  theological  schools,  and  at  every  pjace- 


102 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES. 


I  expressed  my  surprise  to  the  tutors,  in  presence  of 
the  pupils,  at  the  absence  of  the  Bible,  and  almost  total 
want  of  reference  to  it.  They  pleaded  the  custom  of 
the  place,  and  the  scarcity  of  copies  of  the  book  itself. 
Some  of  the  younger  Priests  came  to  me  afterwards, 
desiring  to  know  by  what  means  they  might  procure 
copies.  This  inquiry  for  Bibles  was  like  a  ray  of  hope 
beaming  on  the  walls  of  the  Inquisition. 

“  I  pass  an  hour  sometimes  in  the  spacious  library 
of  the  Augustinian  Convent.  There  are  many  rare 
volumes,  but  they  are  chiefly  theological,  and  almost 
all  of  the  sixteenth  century.  There  are  few  classics  ; 
and  I  have  not  yet  seen  one  copy  of  the  original  Scrip¬ 
tures  in  Hebrew  or  Greek. ’’ 

“  Goa,  Augustinian  Convent ,  2 7th  Jan.  1808. 

“  On  the  second  morning  after  my  arrival,  I  was 
surprised  by  my  host,  the  Inquisitor,  coming  into  my 
apartment  clothed  in  black  robes  from  head  to  foot;  for 
the  usual  dress  of  his  order  is  white.  He  said  he 
was  going  to  sit  on  the  Tribunal  of  the  Holy  Office. 

5 1  presume,  Father,  your  august  office  does  not  occupy 
much  of  your  time.’  ‘Yes,’  answered  he,  ‘  much.  I 
sit  on  the  Tribunal  three  or  four  days  evei’y  week.’ 

“  Iliad  thought,  for  some  days,  of  putting  Deilon’s 
book  into  the  Inquisitor’s  hands  ;  for  if  I  could  get  him 
to  advert  to  the  facts  stated  in  that  book,  I  should  be 
able  to  learn,  by  comparison,  the  exact  state  of  the 
Inquisition  at  the  present  time.  In  the  evening  he 
came  in,  as  usual,  to  pass  an  hour  in  my  apartment. 
After  some  conversation  I  took  the  pen  in  my  hand 
to  write  a  few  notes  in  my  journal  ;  and,  as  if  to 
amuse  him,  while  I  was  writing,  I  took  up  Deilon’s 
book,  which  was  lying  with  some  others  on  the  table, 
and  handing  it  across  to  him,  asked  him  whether  he 
had  ever  seen  it.  It  was  in  the-  French  Language,, 
which  he  understood  well.  (  Relation  de  1’  Inquisition 
de  Goa,’  pronounced  he,  with  a  slow,  articulate  voice. 
He  had  never  seen  it  before,  and  began  to  read  with 
eagerness.  He  had  not  proceeded  far,  before  he  be¬ 
trayed  evident  symptoms  of  uneasiness.  He  turned 
hastily  to  the  middle  of  the  book,  and  then  to  the 


THE  ROMISH  CHRISTIANS. 


103 


end,  and  then  ran  over  the  table  of  contents  at  the 
beginning,  as  if  to  ascertain  the  full  extent  of  the 
evil.  He  then  composed  himself  to  read,  while  I 
continued  to  write.  He  turned  over  the  pages  with 
rapidity,  and  when  he  came  to  a  certain  place,  he  ex¬ 
claimed  in  the  broad  Italian  accent,  ‘  Mendacium, 
Mendacium.’  I  requested  he  would  mark  those  pas¬ 
sages  which  were  untrue,  and  we  should  discuss  them 
afterwards,  for  that  I  had  other  books  on  the  subject. 
‘  Other  books,’  said  he,  and  he  looked  with  an  inquir¬ 
ing  eye  on  those  on  the  table.  He  continued  read¬ 
ing  till  it  was  time  to  retire  to  rest,  and  then  beg¬ 
ged  to  take  the  book  with  him. 

“  It  was  on  this  night  that  a  circumstance  hap¬ 
pened  which  caused  my  first  alarm  at  Goa.  My  ser¬ 
vants  slept  every  night  at  my  chamber  door,  in  the 
long  gallery  which  is  common  to  all  the  apartments, 
and  not  far  distant  from  the  servants  of  the  convent. 
About  midnight  I  was  wraked  by  loud  shrieks  and 
expressions  of  terror,  from  some  person  in  the  gal¬ 
lery.  In  the  first  moment  of  surprise  I  concluded  it 
must  be  the  Alguazils  of  the  Holy  Office,  seizing  my 
servants  to  carry  them  to  the  Inquisition.  But,  on 
going  out,  I  saw  my  own  servants  standing  at  the 
door,  and  the  person  who  had  caused  the  alarm  (a 
boy  of  about  fourteen)  at  a  little  distance,  surround¬ 
ed  by  some  of  the  Priests,  who  had  come  out  of  their 
cells  on  hearing  the  noise.  The  boy  said  he  had  seen 
a  spectre,  and  it  was  a  considerable  time  before  the  agi* 
tations  of  his  body  and  voice  subsided.  Next  morning 
at  breakfast  the  Inquisitor  apologized  for  the  disturb¬ 
ance,  and  said  the  boy’s  alarm  proceeded  from  a  ‘  phan¬ 
tasma  animi,’  a  phantasm  of  the  imagination. 

“  After  breakfast  we  resumed  the  subject  of  the  In¬ 
quisition.  The  Inquisitor  admitted  that  Delion’s  de¬ 
scriptions  of  the  dungeons,  of  the  torture,  of  the  mode  of 
trial,  and  of  the  Auto  da  Fe  were,  in  general,  just ;  but 
he  said  the  writer  judged  untruly  of  the  motives  of  the 
Inquisitors,  and  very  uncharitably  of  the  character  of 
the  Holy  Church ;  and  I  admitted  that,  under  the 
pressure  of  his  peculiar  suffering,  this  might  possibly  be 
the  case.  The  Inquisitor  was  now  anxious  to  know  to 


104 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES. 


what  extent  Dcllon’s  book  had  been  circulated  in  Eu¬ 
rope.  I  told  him  that  Picart  had  published  to  the 
world  extracts  from  it,  in  his  celebrated  work  called 
“  Religious  Ceremonies  together  with  plates  of  the 
system  of  torture  and  burnings  at  the  Auto  da  Fe. 
I  added  that  it  was  now  generally  believed  in  Europe 
that  these  enormities  no  longer  existed,  and  that  the  In¬ 
quisition  itself  had  been  totally  suppressed  ;  but  that  I 
was  concerned  to  find  that  this  was  not  the  case.  He 
now  began  a  grave  narration  to  shew  that  the  Inquisition 
had  undergone  a  change  in  some  respects,  and  that  its 
terrors  were  mitigated.”* 

*  The  following  were  the  passages  in  Mr.  Dellon’s  narrative,  to 
which  I  wished  particularly  to  draw  the  attention  of  the  Inquisi- 
tor.  Mr.  D.  had  been  thrown  into  the  Inquisition  at  Goa  and  con¬ 
fined  in  a  dungeon,  ten  feet  square,  where  he  remained  upwards 
of  two  years,  without  seeing  any  person,  but  the  gaoler  who 
brought  him  his  victuals,  except  when  he  was  brought  to  his  tri¬ 
al,  expecting  daily  to  be  brought  to  the  stake.  His  alleged  crime 
was,  charging  the  Inquisition  with  cruelty',  in  a  conversation  he 
had  with  a  Priest  at  Hainan,  another  part  of  India. 

“  During  the  months  of  November  and  December,  I  heard, 
every  morning,  the  shrieks  of  the  unfortunate  victims,  who  were 
undergoing  the  Question.  I  remembered  to  have  beard,  before 
1  was  cast  into  prison,  that  the  Auto  da  Fe  was  generally  cele¬ 
brated  on  the  first  Sunday  in  Advent,  because  on  that  day  is  read 
in  the  Churches  that  part  of  the  Gospel  in  which  mention  is  made 
of  the  last  judgment;  and  the  Inquisitors  pretend  by  this 
ceremony  to  exhibit  a  lively  emblem  of  that  awful  event.  I  was 
likewise  convinced  that  there  were  a  great  number  of  prisoners, 
besides  myself ;  the  profound  silence,  which  reigned  within  the 
walls  of  the  building,  having  enabled  me  to  count  the  number  of 
doors  which  were  opened  at  the  hours  of  meals.  However,  the 
first  and  second  Sundays  of  Advent  passed  by,  without  my  hear¬ 
ing  of  any  thing,  and  1  prepared  to  undergo  another  year  of  mel¬ 
ancholy  captivity,  when  I  was  aroused  from  my  despair  on  the  11th 
of  January,  by  the  noise  of  the  guards  removing  the  bars  from 
the  door  of  my  prison.  The  Alcaide  presented  me  with  a  habit, 
which  he  ordered  me  to  put  on,  and  to  make  myself  ready  to  at¬ 
tend  him,  when  he  should  come  again.  Thus  saying,  he  left  a 
lighted  lump  in  my  dungeon.  The  guards  returned,  about  two 
o’clock  in  the  morning,  and  led  me  out  into  a  long  gallery,  where 
I  found  a  number  of  the  companions  of  my  fate,  drawn  up  in  a 
rank  against  a  wall :  I  placed  myself  among  the  rest,  and  several 
more  soon  joined  the  melancholy  band.  The  profound  silence 
and  stillness  caused  them  to  resemble  statues  more  than  the  ani¬ 
mated  bodies. of  human  creatures.  The  women,  who  were  cloth- 


THE  ROMISH  CHRISTIANS. 


105 


,{ I  had  already  discovered,  from  written  or  printed 
documents,  that  the  Inquisition  at  Goa  was  suppressed 
by  Royal  Edict  in  the  year  1775,  and  established 
again  in  1779.  The  Franciscan  Father  before  raen- 

ed  in  a  similar  manner,  were  placed  in  a  neighbouring  gallery, 
where  we  could  not  see  them  ;  but  I  remarked  that  a  number  of 
persons  stood  by  themselves  at  some  distance,  attended  by  others 
who  wore  long  black  dresses,  and  who  walked  backwards  and 
forwards  occasionally.  I  did  not  then  know  who  these  were  :  but 
I  was  afterwards  informed  that  the  former  were  the  victims  who 
were  condemned  to  be  burned,  and  the  others  were  their  con¬ 
fessors. 

“  After  we  were  all  ranged  against  the  wall  of  this  gallary,  we 
received  each  a  large  wax  taper.  They  then  brought  us  a  num¬ 
ber  of  dresses  made  of  yellow  cloth,  with  the  cross  of  St  Andrew 
painted  before  and  behind.  This  is  called  the  San  Benito.  The 
relapsed  heretics  wear  another  species  of  robe,  called  the  Samar- 
ra,  the  ground  of  which  is  grey.  The  portrait  of  the  sufferer  is 
painted  upon  it,  placed  upon  burning  torches  with  flames  and  de¬ 
mons  all  round.  Caps  were  then  produced  called  Carrochas ; 
made  of  pasteboard,  pointed  like  sugar -loaves,  all  covered  over 
with  devils,  and  flames  of  fire. 

“  The  great  bell  of  the  Cathedral  began  to  ring  a  little  before 
sun-rise,  which  served  as  a  signal  to  warn  the  people  of  Goa  to 
come  and  behold  the  august  ceremony  of  the  Auto  da  Fe  ;  and 
then  they  made  us  proceed  from  the  gallery  one  by  one.  I  re¬ 
marked  as  we  passed  into  the  great  hall,  that  the  Inquisitor  was 
sitting  at  the  door  with  his  secretary  by  him,  and  that  he  deliver¬ 
ed  every  prisoner  into  the  hands  of  a  particular  person,  who  is  to 
be  his  guard  to  the  place  of  burning.  These  persons  are  called 
Parrains,  or  Godfathers.  My  Godfather  was  the  commander  of  a 
ship.  I  went  forth  with  him,  and  as  soon  as  we  were  in  the  street, 
I  saw  that  the  procession  was  commenced  by  the  Dominican  Fri¬ 
ars  ;  who  have  this  honor,  because  St.  Dominic  founded  the  In¬ 
quisition.  These  are  followed  by  the  prisoners  who  walk  one  af¬ 
ter  the  other,  each  having  his  Godfather  by  his  side,  and  a  light¬ 
ed  taper  in  his  hand.  The  least  guilty  go  foremost ;  and  as  I  did 
not  pass  for  one  of  them,  there  were  many  who  took  precedence 
of  me.  The  women  were  mixed  promiscuously  with  the  men. 
We  all  walked  barefoot,  and  the  sharp  stones  of  the  streets  of  Goa 
wounded  my  tender  feet,  and  caused  the  blood  to  stream  :  for 
they  made  us  march  through  the  chief  streets  of  the  city  :  and  we 
were  regarded  every  where  by  an  innumerable  crowd  of  people, 
who  had  assembled  from  all  parts  of  India  to  behold  this  specta¬ 
cle  ;  for  the  Inquisition  takes  care  to  announce  it  long  before,  in 
the  most  remote  parishes.  At  length  we  arrived  at  the  Church  of 
St.  Francis,  which  was,  for  this  time,  destined  for  the  celebra¬ 
tion  of  the  Act  of  Faith.  On  one  side  of  the  Altar,  was  the  Grand 
Inquisitor  and  his  Counsellors  ;  and  on  the  other,  the  Vice-Roy 


106 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES,. 


tionecl  witnessed  the  annual  Auto  da  Fe,  from  1770,- 
to  1775.  “  It  was  the  humanity  and  tender  mercy  of 

a  good  King,”  said  the  old  Father,  “which  abolished 
the  Inquisition.”  But  immediately  on  his  death,  the 
power  of  the  Priests  acquired  the  ascendant,  under  the 
Queen  Dowager,  and  the  Tribunal  was  re-established, 
after  a  bloodless  interval  of  five  years.  It  has  continu¬ 
ed  in  operation  ever  since.  It  was  restored  in  1779, 
subject  to  certain  restrictions,  the  chief  of  which  are 
the  two  following,  “  That  a  greater  number  of  witnes¬ 
ses  should  be  required  to  convict  a  criminal  than  were 
before  necessary  ;”  and,  “That  the  Auto  da  Fc  should 
not  be  held  publicly  as  before  ;  but  that  the  sentences  of 
the  Tribunal  should  be  executed  privately,  within  the 
walls  of  the  Inquisition.’ 

“  In  this  particular,  the  constitution  of  the  new  In¬ 
quisition  is  more  reprehensible  than  that  of  the  old  one  ; 

of  Goa  and  his  Court.  All  the  prisoners  are  seated  to  hear  a 
Sermon.  I  observed  that  those  prisoners  who  wore  the  horrible 
Carrochas  came  in  last  in  the  procession.  One  of  the  Augustin 
Monks  ascended  the  pulpit,  and  preached  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 
The  sermon  being  concluded  two  readers  went  up  to  the  pulpit, 
one  after  the  other,  and  read  the  sentences  of  the  prisoners.  My 
joy  was  extreme,  when  I  heard  that  my  sentence  was  not  to  be 
burnt,  but  to  be  a  galley-slave  for  five  years.  After  the  senten¬ 
ces  were  read,  they  summoned  forth  those  miserable  victims 
who  were  destined  to  be  immolated  by  the  Holy  Inquisition.  The 
images  of  the  heretics  who  had  died  in  prison  were  brought  up 
at  the  same  time,  their  bones  being  contained  in  small  chests, 
covered  with  flames  and  demons.  An  officer  of  the  secular  tri¬ 
bunal  now  came  forward,  and  seized  these  unhappy  people,  after 
they  had  each  received  a  slight  blow  upon  the  breast,  from  the  Al¬ 
caide,  to  intimate  that  they  were  abandoned.  They  were  then 
led  away  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  where  the  Vice  Hoy  and  his 
Court  were  assembled,  and  where  the  faggots  had  been  prepar¬ 
ed  the  preceding  day.  As  soon  as  they  arrive  at  this  place,  the 
condemned  persons  are  asked  in  what  religion  they  choose  to 
die;  and  the  moment  they  have  replied  to  this  question,  the  ex¬ 
ecutioner  seizes  them,  and  binds  them  to  a  stake  in  the  midst  of 
the  faggots.  The  day  after  the  execution,  the  portraits  of  the 
dead  are  carried  to  the  Church  of  the  Dominicans  The  heads 
only  are  represented,  (which  are  generally  very  accurately  drawn; 
for  the  Inquisition  keeps  excellent  limners  for  the  purpose,)  sur¬ 
rounded  by  flames  and  demons  ;  and  underneath  is  the  name  and 
crime  of  the  person  who  has  been  burned.”  Relation  de  V  Imiui- 
gition  de  G»a,  chap.  xxiv. 


THE  ROMISH  CHRISTIANS. 


ior 

for,  as  the  old  Father  expressed  it,  (  Nunc  sigillum  non 
revelat  Inquisitio.’  Formerly  the  friends  of  those  un¬ 
fortunate  persons  who  were  thrown  into  its  prison,  had 
the  melancholy  satisfaction  of  seeing  them  once  a  year 
walking  in  the  procession  of  the  Auto  da  Fe  ;  or  if  they 
were  condemned  to  die,  they  witnessed  their  death,  and 
mourned  for  the  dead.  But  now  they  have  no  means 
of  learning  for  years  whether  they  be  dead  or  alive. 
The  policy  of  this  new  code  of  concealment  appears  to 
be  this,  to  preserve  the  power  of  the  Inquisition,  ancfat 
the  same  time  to  lessen  the  public  odium  of  its  proceed¬ 
ings,  in  the  presence  of  British  dominion  and  civiliza¬ 
tion.  I  asked  the  Father  his  opinion  concerning  the  na¬ 
ture  and  frequency  of  the  punishments  within  the  walls. 
He  said  he  possessed  no  certain  means  of  giving  a  sat¬ 
isfactory  answer  ;  that  every  thing  transacted  there  was 
declared  to  be  ‘  sacrum  et  secretum.’  But  this  lie  knew 
to  be  true,  that  there  were  constantly  captives  in  the 
dungeons ;  that  some  of  them  are  liberated  after  lone* 
confinement,  but  that  they  never  speak  afterwards  of 
what  passed  within  the  place.  He  added  that,  of  all  the 
persons  he  had  known,  who  had  been  liberated,  he  never 
knew  one  who  did  not  carry  about  with  him  what  might 
be  called,  ‘  the  mark  of  the  Inquisition  that  is  to  say 
who  did  not  shew  in  the  solemnity  of  his  countenance’ 
or  in  his  peculiar  demeanor,  or  his  terror  of  the  Priests’ 
that  he  had  been  in  that  dreadful  place. 

“.The  chief  argument  of  the  Inquisitor  to  prove  the 
melioration  of  the  Inquisition  was  the  superior  humanity 
of  the  Inquisitors.  I  remarked  that  I  did  not  doubt  the 
humanity  of  the  existing  officers  ;  but  what  availed  hu¬ 
manity  in  an  Inquisitor?  he  must  pronounce  sentence 
according  to  the  Laws  of  the  Tribunal,  which  are  noto¬ 
rious  enough  ;  and  a  relapsed  Heretic  must  be  burned 
in  the  flames,  or  confined  for  life  in  a  dungeon,  whether 
the  Inquisitor  be  humane  or  not.  But  if,  said  I,  you 
would  satisfy  my  mind  completely  on  this  subject 
‘  sjiew  me  the  Inquisition.*  He  said  it  was  not  permit¬ 
ted  to  any  person  to  see  the  Inquisition.  I  observed 
that  mine  might  be  considered  as  a  peculiar  case;  that 
the  character  of  the  Inquisition,  and  the  expediency  of 
its  longer  continuance  had  been  called  in  question? 


IDS 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES, 


that  I  had  myself  written  on  the  civilization  of  India, 
and  might  possibly  publish  something  more  upon  that 
subject,  and  that  it  could  not  be  expected  that  I  should 
pass  over  the  Inquisition  without  notice,  knowing  what 
I  did  of  its  proceedings  ;  at  the  same  time  I  should  not 
wish  to  state  a  single  fact  without  his  authority,  or  at 
least  his  admission  of  its  truth.  I  added  that  he  him¬ 
self  had  been  pleased  to  communicate  with  me  very 
fully  on  the  subject,  and  that  in  all  our  discussions  we 
had  both  been  actuated,  I  hoped,  by  a  good  purpose. 
The  countenance  of  the  Inquisitor  evidently  altered  on 
receiving  this  intimation,  nor  did  it  ever  after  wholly  re¬ 
gain  its  wonted  frankness  and  placidity.  After  some 
hesitation,  however,  he  said,  he  would  take  me  with 
him  to  the  Inquisition  the  next  day.  I  was  a  good  deal 
surprised  at  this  acquiescence  of  the  Inquisitor,  but  I 
did  not  know  what  was  in  his  mind. 

u  Next  morning  after  breakfast  my  host  went  to  dress 
for  the  Holy  Office,  and  soon  returned  in  his  inquisito¬ 
rial  robes.  He  said  he  would  go  half  an  hour  before  the 
usual  time  for  the  purpose  of  shewing  me  the  Inquisi¬ 
tion.  The  buildings  are  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant 
from  the  convent,  and  we  proceeded  thither  in  our  Man- 
jeels.*  On  our  arrival  at  the  place,  the  Inquisitor  said 
to  me,  as  we  were  ascending  the  steps  of  the  outer  stair, 
that  he  hoped  I  should  be  satisfied  with  a  transcient  view 
of  the  Inquisition,  and  that  I  would  retire  whenever  he 
should  desire  it.  I  took  this  as  a  good  omen,  and  fol¬ 
lowed  my  conductor  with  tolerable  confidence. 

u  He  led  me  first  to  the  Great  Hall  of  the  Inquisi¬ 
tion.  We  were  met  at  the  door  by  a  number  of  well 
dressed  persons,  who,  I  afterwards  understood,  were 
the  familiars,  and  attendants  of  the  Holy  Office.  They 
bowed  very  low  to  the  Inquisitor,  and  looked  with 
surprise  at  me.  The  Great  Hall  is  the  place  in  which 
the  prisoners  are  marshalled  for  the  procession  of  the 

*  The  Manjeel  is  a  kind  of  Palankeen  common  at  Goa.  It  is 
merely  a  sea  cot  suspended  from  a  bamboo,  which  is  borne  on  the 
fieads  of  four  men.  Sometimes  a  footman  runs  before,  having  a 
staff  in  his  hand,  to  which  are  attached  little  bells  or  rings, 
which  he  jingles  as  he  runs,  keeping  time  with  the  motion  of  the 
bearers. 


THE  ROMISH  CHRISTIANS. 


109 


Auto  da  Fe.  At  the  procession  described  by  Dellon, 
in  which  he  himself  walked  barefoot,  clothed  with  the 
painted  garment,  there  were  upwards  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  prisoners.  I  traversed  this  hall  for  some 
time,  with  a  slow  step,  reflecting  on  its  former  scenes, 
the  Inquisitor  walking  by  my  side,  in  silence.  I 
thought  of  the  fate  of  the  multitude  of  my  fellow- 
creatures  who  had  passed  through  this  place,  con¬ 
demned  by  a  tribunal  of  their  fellow-sinners,  their 
bodies  devoted  to  the  flames,  and  their  souls  to  perdi¬ 
tion.  And  I  could  not  help  saying  to  him,  “  Would 
not  the  Holy  Church  wish,  in  her  mercy,  to  have  those 
souls  back  again,  that  she  might  allow  them  a  little 
fin ther  probation  ?”  1  he  Inquisitor  answered  nothing, 
but  beckoned  me  to  go  with  him  to  a  door  at  one 
end  of  the  hall.  By  this  door  he  conducted  me  to  some 
small  rooms,  and  thence  to  the  spacious  apartments  of 
the  chief  Inquisitor.  Having  surveyed  these  he  brought 
me  back  again  to  the  Great  Hall ;  and  I  thought  he 
seemed  now  desirous  that  I  should  depart.  “Now, 
father,  said  I,  lead  me  to  the  dungeons  below;  I 
want  to  see  the  captives.”  “  No,”  said  he  “  that  can¬ 
not  be.  I  now  began  to  suspect  that  it  had  been  in 
the  mind  of  the  Inquisitor,  from  the  beginning,  to 
shew  me  only  a  certain  part  of  the  Inquisition,  in  the 
hope  of  satisfying  my  inquiries  in  a  general  way.  I 
urged  him  with  earnestness,  but  he  steadily  resisted, 
ant.  seemed  to  be  offended,  or  rather  agitated,  by  mv 
importunity.  I  intimated  to  him  plainly,  that  the  only 
w-ay  to  do  justice  to  his  own  assertions  and  arguments 
legal  cling  the  present  state  oi  the  Inquisition,  was  to 
show  me  the  prisons  and  the  captives.  I  should  then 

left 


!  *  . J.  OllUUiU  in 

desenoe  only  what  I  saw  ;  but  now  the  subject  was  3 
in  awful  obscurity.  “  Lead  me  down,”  said  I,  “  to 
the  inner  building,  and  let  me  pass  through  the  two 
hundred  dungeons,  ten  feet  square,  described  by  your 
former  captives.  Let  me  count  the  number  of  your 
present  captives,  and  converse  with  them.  I  want  to 
see  if  there  be  any  subjects  of  the  British  Government 
to  whom  we  owe  protection.  I  want  to  ask  how  long 
they  have  been  here,  how  long  it  is  since  they  beheld 
the  light  of  the  sun,  and  whether  they  ever  expect  to 


310  CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES. 

-see  it  again.  Shew  me  the  Chamber  of  Torture  ;  and 
declare  what  modes  of  execution,  or  of  punishment, 
are  now  practised  within  the  walls  of  the  Inquisition, 
in  lieu  of  the  public  Auto  da  Fe.  If,  after  all  that 
has  passed,  Father,  you  resist  this  reasonable  request, 
I  shall  be  justified  in  believing,  that  you  are  afraid  of 
exposing  the  real  state  of  the  Inquisition  in  India.” 
To  these  observations  the  Inquisitor  made  no  reply; 
but  seemed  impatient  that  I  should  withdraw.  “  My 
good  Father,”  said  I,  “  I  am  about  to  take  my  leave  of 
you,  and  to  thank  you  for  your  hospitable  attentions, 
(it  had  been  before  understood  that  I  should  take  my 
final  leave  at  the  door  of  the  Inquisition,  after  having 
seen  the  interior,)  and  I  wish  always  to  preserve  on  my 
mind  a  favorable  sentiment  of  your  kindness  and  can¬ 
dor.  You  cannot,  you  say,  shew  me  the  captives  and 
the  dungeons  ;  be  pleased  then  merely  to  answer  this 
question  ;  for  I  shall  believe  your  word  :  How  many 
prisoners  are  there  now  below,  in  the  cells  of  the  In¬ 
quisition  ?”  The  Inquisitor  replied,  “  That  is  a  question 
which  I  cannot  answer.”  On  his  pronouncing  these 
words,  I  retired  hastily  towards  the  door,  and  wished 
him  farewell.  We  shook  hands  with  as  much  cordi¬ 
ality  as  we  could  at  the  moment  assume  ;  and  both  of 
us,  I  believe,  were  sorry  that  our  parting  took  place 
with  a  clouded  countenance. 

“  From  the  Inquisition  I  went  to  the  place  of  burn¬ 
ing  in  the  Camjw  Santo  Lazaro ,  on  the  river  side, 
where  the  victims  were  brought  to  the  stake  at  the 
Auto  da  Fe.  It  is  close  to  the  palace,  that  the  Vice- 
Roy  and  his  Court  may  witness  the  execution  ;  for  it 
has  ever  been  the  policy  of  the  Inquisition  to  make 
these  spiritual  executions  appear  to  be  the  executions 
of  the  State.  An  old  Priest  accompanied  me,  who 
pointed  out  the  place  and  described  the  scene.  As  I 
passed  over  this  melancholy  plain,  I  thought  on  the 
difference  between  the  pure  and  benign  doctrine,  which 
was  first  preached  to  India  in  the  Apostolic  age,  and 
that  bloody  code,  which,  after  a  long  night  of  dark¬ 
ness,  was  announced  to  it  under  the  same  name  !  And 
I  pondered  on  the  mysterious  dispensation,  which  per¬ 
mitted  the  ministers  of  the  Inquisition,  with  their  racks 


THE  ROMISH  CHRISTIANS.  HI 

and  flames,  to  visit  these  lands,  before  the  heralds  of 
the  Gospel  oi  Peace.  But  the  most  painful  reflection 
was,  that  this  tribunal  should  yet  exist,  unawed  by 
the  vicinity  of  British  humanity  and  dominion.  I  was 
not  satisfied  with  what  I  had  seen  or  said  at  the  In¬ 
quisition,  and  I  determined  to  go  back  again.  The 
Inquisitors  were  now  sitting  on  the  tribunal,  and  I  had 
some  excuse  for  returning ;  for  I  was  to  receive  from 
the  chief  Inquisitor  a  letter  which  he  said  he  would 
give  me,  before  I  left  the  place,  for  the  British  Resi¬ 
dent  in  Travancore,  being  an  answer  to  a  letter  from 
that  officer. 

“  When  I  arrived  at  the  Inquisition,  and  had  ascend¬ 
ed  the  outer  stairs,  the  door-keepers  surveyed  me 
doubtingly,  but  suffered  me  to  pass,  supposing  that 
I  had  returned  by  permission  and  appointment  of  the 
Inquisitor.  I  entered  the  Great  Hall,  and  went  up 
directly  towards  the  tribunal  of  the  Inquisition,  de¬ 
scribed  by  Dellon,  in  which  is  the  lofty  Crucifix.  I 
sat  down  on  a  form,  and  wrote  some  notes  ;  and  then 
desired  one  of  the  attendants  to  carry  in  my  name  to 
the  Inquisitor.  As  I  walked  up  the  Hall,  I  saw  a 
poor  woman  sitting  by  herself,  on  a  bench  by  the  wall, 
apparently  in  a  disconsolate  state  of  mind.  She  clasped 
her  hands  as  I  passed,  and  gave  me  a  look  expressive 
of  her  distress.  This  sight  chilled  my  spirits.  The 
familiars  tokl  me  she  was  waiting  there  to  be  called  up 
before  the  tribunal  of  the  Inquisition.  While  I  was 
asking  questions  concerning  her  crime,  the  second  In¬ 
quisitor  came  out  in  evident  trepidation,  and  was  about 
to  complain  of  the  intrusion  ;  when  I  informed  him  I 
had  come  back  for  the  letter  from  the  chief  Inquisitor. 
He  said  it  should  be  sent  after  me  to  Goa ;  and  he  con¬ 
ducted  me  with  a  quick  step  towards  the  door.  As 
we  passed  the  poor  woman,  I  pointed  to  her,  and  said 
with  some  emphasis,  u  Behold,  Father,  another  victim 
of  the  holy  Inquisition  !”  He  answered  nothing.  When 
we  arrived  at  the  head  of  the  great  stair,  he  bowed  and 
I  took  my  last  leave  of  Josephus  a  Doloribus,  without 
uttering  a  word.” 

The  foregoing  particulars  concerning  the  Inquisition 


112  CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES. 

at  Goa  are  detailed  chiefly  with  this  view  ;  that  the 
English  nation  may  consider,  whether  there  be  suffi¬ 
cient  ground  for  presenting  a  remonstrance  to  the 
Portuguese  Government,  on  the  longer  continuance 
of  that  tribunal  in  India;  it  being  notorious,  that  a 
great  part  of  the  Romish  Christians  are  now  under 
British  protection.  “  The  Romans,”  says  Montesquieu, 
“  deserved  well  of  human  nature,  for  making  it  an 
article  in  their  treaty  with  the  Carthagenians,  that 
they  should  abstain  from  sacrificing  their  children 
to  their  gods.”  It  has  been  lately  observed  by  res¬ 
pectable  writers,  that  the  English  nation  ought  to 
imitate  this  example,  and  endeavor  to  induce  her 
allies  “  to  abolish  the  human  sacrifices  of  the  Inquisi¬ 
tion  ;”  and  a  censure  is  passed  on  our  Government  for 
their  indifference  to  this  subject.*  The  indifference 
to  the  Inquisition  is  attributable,  we  believe,  to  the 
same  cause  which  has  produced  an  indifference  to  the 
religious  principles  which  first  organized  the  Inquisi¬ 
tion.  The  mighty  Despot,  who  suppressed  the  Inqui¬ 
sition  in  Spain,  was  not  swayed  probably  by  very 
powerful  motives  of  humanity  ;  but  viewed  with  jeal¬ 
ousy  a  tribunal,  which  usurped  an  independent  domin¬ 
ion  ;  -  and  he  put  it  down,  on  the  same  principle  that 
he  put  down  the  Popedom,  that  he  might  remain 
Pontiff  and  Grand  Inquisitor  himself.  And  so  he 
will  remain  for  a  time,  till  the  purposes  of  Providence 
shall  have  been  accomplished  by  him.  But  are  we 
to  look  on  in  silence,  and  to  expect  that  further 
meliorations  in  human  society  are  to  be  effected  by- 
despotism,  or  by  great  revolutions  ?  “  If,”  say  the 

same  authors,  “  while  the  inquisition  is  destroyed  in 
Europe  by  the  power  of  despotism,  we  could  enter¬ 
tain  the  hope,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  entertain  such 
a  hope,  that  the  power  of  liberty  is  about  to  destroy 
it  in  America ;  we  might  even,  amid  the  gloom  that 
surrounds  us,  congratulate  our  fellcw-creatures  on  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  periods  in  the  history  of  the 
progress  of  human  society,  the  final  erasure  of  the 
inquisition  from  the  face  of  the  earth.”\  It  will  in- 


*  Edin.  Iiev.  No.  XXXII.  p.  429. 


j-  Ibid. 


THE  ROMISH  CHRISTIANS. 


113 


deed  be  an  important  and  happy  day  to  the  earth, 
when  this  final  erasure  shall  take  place  ;  but  the  period 
of  such  an  event  is  nearer,  I  apprehend  in  Europe 
and  Ameiica,  than  it  is  in  Asia;  and  its  termination 
in  Asia  depends  as  much  on  Great  Britain  as  on  Por¬ 
tugal.  And  shall  not  Great  Britain  do  her  part  to 
hasten  this  desirable  time  ?  Do  we  wait,  as  if  to  see 
whether  the  power  of  Infidelity  will  abolish  the  other 
Inquisitions  of  the  earth  ?  Shall  not  we,  in  the  mean 
n  nile,  attempt  to  do  something,  on  Christian  princi¬ 
ples,  for  the  honor  of  God  and  of  humanity  ?  Do  we 
dread  even  to  express  a  sentiment  on  the  subject  in 
Oui  legislative  Assemblies,  or  to  notice  it  in  our  Trea¬ 
ties  ?  It  is  surely  our  duty  to  declare  our  wishes,  at  least, 
ior  the  abolition  of  these  inhuman  tribunals,  (since  we 
take  an  active  part  in  promoting  the  welfare  of  other 
nations,)  and  to  deliver  our  testimony  against  them 
m  the  presence  of  Europe. 

This  case  is  not  unlike  that  of  the  Immolation  of 
remales;  with  this  aggravation  in  regard  to  the  lat¬ 
ter,  that  the  rite  is  perpetrated  in  our  own  territories 
Our  humanity  revolts  at  the  occasional  description  of 
the  enormity  ;  but  the  matter  comes  not  to  our  own 
business  and  bosoms,  and  we  fail  even  to  insinuate 
our  disapprobation  of  the  deed.  It  may  be  concluded 
then,  that  while  we  remain  silent  and  unmoved  spec¬ 
tators  of  the  flames  of  the  Widow’s  Pile,  there  is  no 
hope  that  we  shall  be  justly  affected  by  the  reported 
horrors  of  the  Inquisition. 


TRANSLATIONS  OF  THE  SCRIPTURES 
THE  ROMISH  CHRISTIANS. 


FOR 


The  principal  languages  spoken  by  the  Romish  Chris- 
Uans  m  India  are  these  four  ;  the  Tamul,  the  Malabar, 
the  Ceylonese,  and  the  Portuguese.  The  Author  has 
already  had  occasion  to  notice  the  three  first.  The 
Tamul  version  has  been  long  since  completed  by  the 
Protestant  Missionaries;  and  the  Malabar  and  the 
Ceylonese  are  in  course  of  publication.  It  is  now 
proper  to  explain,  that  excellent  effects  may  be  ex¬ 
pected  from  the  diffusion  of  the  Portuguese  Scriptures 

K.  2 


114 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


in  India.  The  Portuguese  Language  prevails  wherever 
there  are,  or  have  been ,  settlements  of  that  nation. 
Their  descendants  people  the  coasts  from  the  vicinity 
of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  the  Sea  of  China  ;  be¬ 
ginning  from  Sofala,  Mocaranga,  Mosambique,  (where 
there  is  a  Bishop,)  Zinzebar,  and  Melinda,  (where  there 
are  many  Churches,)  on  the  East  of  Africa ;  and  ex¬ 
tending  round  by  Babelmandel,  Diu,  Surat,  Daman, 
Bombay,  Goa,  Calicut,  Cochin,  Angengo,  Tutecorin, 
Negapatam,  Jaffna-patam,  Columbo,  Point  de  Galle, 
Tranquebar,  Tanjore,  Tritchinopoly,  Porto-Novo,  Pon¬ 
dicherry,  Sadras,  Madras,  Masulipatam,  Calcutta,  Chin- 
surah,  Bandel,  Chittagong,  Macao,  and  Canton  ;  and 
almost  all  the  islands  of  the  Maylayan  Archipelago, 
which  were  first  conquered  by  the  Portuguese.  The 
greater  part  of  the  Portuguese  in  India  are  now  sub¬ 
jects  of  the  British  Empire.  The  Author  visited  most 
of  the  places  above  enumerated  ;  and  in  many  of  them 
he  could  not  hear  of  a  single  copy  of  the  Portuguese 
Scriptures.  There  is  a  Portuguese  Press  at  Tranque¬ 
bar,  and  another  at  Vespery  near  Madras;  and  pe¬ 
cuniary  aid  only  is  wanted  from  Europe  to  multiply 
copies,  and  to  circulate  them  round  the  coast  of  Asia. 
The  Portuguese  Language  is  certainly  a  most  favoura¬ 
ble  medium  for  diffusing  the  true  religion  in  the  mari¬ 
time  provinces  of  the  East. 

THE  COLLEGES  AT  GOA. 

Goa  will  probably  remain  the  theological  school  to  a 
great  part  of  India,  for  a  long  period  to  come.  It  is 
of  v^st  importance  to  the  interests  of  Christianity  in 
the  East,  that  this  source  of  instruction  should  be  puri¬ 
fied.  The  appointed  instrument  for  effecting  this,  is 
the  Bible.  This  is  “  the  salt  which  must  be  thrown  in¬ 
to  the  fountain  to  heal  the  waters.”*  There  are  upwards 
of  three  thousand  Priests  belonging  to  Goa,  who  are 
resident  at  the  place,  or  stationed  with  their  cures  at  a 
distance.  Let  us  send  the  Holy  Scriptures  to  illumin¬ 
ate  the  Priests  of  Goa.  It  was  distinctly  expressed  to 
the  Author,  by  several  authorities,  that  they  would 

*  2  Kings  ii.  21. 


RESPECTING  THE  PERSIANS. 


115 


gladly  receive  copies  of  the  Latin  and  Portuguese  VuL 
gate  Bible  from  the  hands  of  the  English  nation. 


THE  PERSIANS. 

The  Christian  Religion  flourished  very  generally  in 
Persia  till  about  a.  d.  651  ;  when,  the  Persians  being 
subdued  by  the  Saracens,  Mahomedanism  gradually 
acquired  the  predominance.  Constantine  the  Great, 
addressed  a  letter  to  Sapor,  King  of  Persia,  which  is 
preserved  to  this  day,  recommending  the  Christian 
Churches  in  his  dominions,  to  his  protection  ;  and  a 
Bishop  from  Persia  was  present  at  the  Council  of  Nice 
in  a.  d.  325.  It  appears  also  that  there  was  a  transla¬ 
tion  of  some  portion  of  the  Scriptures  into  the  Persian 
Language  at  that  period ;  for  we  are  informed  by 
Chrysostom  that,  “  The  Persians,  having  translated  the 
doctrines  of  the  Gospel  into  their  own  tongue,  had 
learned,  though  barbarians,  the  true  philosophy  and 
it  is  stated  by  another  author  in  the  following  century, 
“  That  the  Hebrew  writings  were  not  only  translated 
into  the  Greek,  but  into  the  Latin,  Ethiopian,  Persian , 
Indian,  Armenian,  Scythian,  and  Sarmatian  Lan¬ 
guages.”! 

In  the  beautiful  homily  of  Chrysostom  on  Mary’s 
Memorial,  preached  about  a.  d.  380,  in  which  he 
enumerates  those  nations,  who,  in  fulfilment  of  our 
Saviour’s  prophecy,  had  “  spoken  of  the  deed  of  Mary 
for  a  memorial  of  her,”  he  mentions  the  Persians  first, 
and  the  Isles  of  Britain  last.  “  The  Persians,  Indians, 
Scythians,  Thracians,  Sarmatians,  the  race  of  the 
Moors,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  British  Isles,  celebrate 
a  deed  performed  in  a  private  family  in  Judea  by  a  wo- 

*  Chrysostom,  Horn,  ii,  in  Johan. 

|  Theodoret,  vol.  iv,  p.  555.  We  have  entirely  lost  sight  of 
some  of  these  versions  in  the  obscurity  of  Mahomedan  darkness. 
It  is  not  even  known  what  languages  are  intended  by  the  Sa  thian, 
Indian,  and  Sarmatian.  The  Christian  Church  must  now  retrace 
her  steps,  and  endeavor  to  recover  a  knowledge  which  she  has 
lest. 


116 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


man  that  had  been  a  harlot,*  pouring  an  alabaster  box 
of  spikenard  on  the  head  of  Christ,”  thereby  acknowl¬ 
edging  him,  while  yet  upon  earth,  as  God’s  anointed 
King,  and  embalming  his  body,  (as  our  Lord  himself 
explained  it)  in  anticipation  of  his  burial;  concerning 
which  act  of  faith  and  love  he  uttered  the  following  pro¬ 
phetic  declaration :  “  Verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Where¬ 
soever  this  Gospel  shall  be  preached  throughout  the 
whole  world,  this  also  that  she  hath  done  shall  be  spo¬ 
ken  of  for  a  memorial  of  her;”  Mark  xiv,  9.  The 
Isles  of  Britain  are  now  the  first  to  restore  this  memo¬ 
rial,  and  the  Gospel  which  recites  it,  to  the  Persians 
as  well  as  to  other  Mahomedan  nations,  who  were  to 
lose  it  generally,  during  the  great  prophetic  period  of 
1260  years. 

A  version  of  the  four  Gospels  into  the  Persian  Lan¬ 
guage  of  a  former  age  remains  to  this  day.  It  is  a 
faithful  translation,  and  seems  to  have  been  made  im¬ 
mediately  from  the  Syriac  ;t  but  the  dialect  and  or¬ 
thography  are  so  ancient  as  to  be  scarcely  intelligible 
even  at  Isfahan.  The  Romish  Church  has  had  several 
Missions  in  the  kingdom  of  Persia  for  some  centuries 
past.  The  Augustinian  Mission  from  Goa  commenced 
in  the  year  1602,  “and  was  permitted  by  Sultan  Murad 
to  build  convents  in  all  parts  of  the  Empire. But 
they  went  into  Persia,  as  into  other  countries,  not  with 
the  design  of  instructing  men  in  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
but  of  -teaching  them  the  tenets  and  ceremonies  of 
Rome.  To  this  day,  they  have  not  published,  under 
all  the  advantages  of  toleration  which  they  enjoyed, 

*  AAAct  y.cct  Tlefa-xt  xxt  IvJ'oi  kxi  XkvQcu  xcci  ©fctxt? 
JZccvgofAUTai  K.c6i  ru't  Mavgav  yevof  xett  oi  rot?  Bgerc ivt- 
xot?  Njjroti?  eiKovvrei ,  To  tv  I Xoccix  yevo/xe vov  gadget,  cv- 
stKtec  zrxga  yvvcuy.os  -zrsTreg vev/xsvtji,  •zTtQityiQaoi. 

Chrys.  Ho m.  lxxxi,  in  Matth. 

The  argument  of  Chrysostom  is  this,  that  nothing  could  have 
given  so  permanent  a  celebrity  to  so  private  an  occurrence,  but 
the  Divine  Word  of  Him  who  foretold  it.  He  supposes  the  wo¬ 
man  to  have  been  Mary  Magdalene,  but  probably  she  was  Mary, 
the  sister  of  Martha. 

t  This  is  the  Version  of  the  Polyglot. 

t  Fabricii  Lux  Eyang.  p.  639. 


RESPECTING  THE  PERSIANS.  I  !  f 

a  translation  of  the  Bible,  or  even  of  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment,  into  the  Persian  Language. 

It  is  a  reproach  to  Christians,  that  the  only  endeavor 
to  produce  a  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  the  lan¬ 
guage  oi  that  extensive  kingdom  should  have  been 
made  by  the  Persians  themselves.  The  representatives 
of  the  Christian  Churches  in  Europe,  of  every  denomi¬ 
nation,  may  well  blush,  when  they  read  the  following 
authentic  relation  of  an  attempt  made  by  a  Persian 
King  to  procure  a  knowledge  of  our  religion. 

“  Towards  the  close  of  the  year  1740,  Nadir  Shah 
caused  a  translation  of  the  four  Evangelists  to  be  made 
into  Persian.  The  affair  was  put  under  the  direction 
oi  Mil  za  Mcodee,  a  man  oi  some  learning,  who,  being 
tested  with  proper  authority  for  the  purpose,  summon¬ 
ed  several  Armenian  Bishops,  and  Priests,  together 
with  divers  Missionaries  of  the  Romish  Church,  and 
Persian  Mullahsf  to  meet  him  at  Isfahan.  As  to  the 
latter,  the  Mahomedan  Priests,  they  could  not  be 
gainers,  since  the  change  of  religion,  if  any,  was  to  be 
in  prejudice  of  Mahomedanism.  Besides,  Nadir’s 
conduct  towards  them  had  been  severe,  to  an  extreme 
and  unprecedented  degree  ;  many  of  them  therefore 
gave  Mirza  Mehdee  iarge  bribes  to  excuse  their  ab¬ 
sence.  Among  the  Christians  summoned  on  thi3 
occasion,  only  one  Romish  Priest,  a  native  of  Persia, 
was  a  sufficient  master  of  the  language  to  enter  upon 
a  work  of  so  critical  a  nature.  As  to  the  Armenian 
Christians,  although  they  are  born  subjects  to  Persia, 
and  intermixed  with  the  inhabitants,  yet  are  there  very- 
few  of  them  who  understand  the  language  fundamen¬ 
tally.  It  was  natural  to  expect  that  Mirza  Mehdee, 
and  the  Persian  Mullahs,  would  be  more  solicitous  to 
please  Nadir,  and  to  support  the  credit  of  Mahomedan¬ 
ism,  than  io  divest  themselvesof  prejudices,  and  become 
masteis  oi  so  important  a  subject.  This  translation 
was  dressed  up  with  all  the  glosses  which  the  fables  of 
the  Koran  could  warrant.  Their  chief  guide  was  an 
ancient  Arabic  ancl  Persian  translation .  Father  de 

Vignes,  a  Romish  Priest,  was  also  employed  in  this 

|  Mahomedan  Priests, 


118 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


work,  in  which  he  made  use  of  the  Vulgate  edition. 
They  were  but  six  months  in  completing  this  transla¬ 
tion,  and  transcribing  several  fair  copies  of  it. 

“  In  May  following,  Mirza  Mehdee  with  the  Persian 
Mullahs  and  some  of  the  Christian  Priests  set  out  from 
Isfahan  for  the  Persian  Court,  which  was  then  held  in 
encampment  near  Teheran.  Nadir  received  them  with 
some  marks  of  civility,  and  had  a  cursory  view  of  the 
performance.  Some  part  of  it  was  read  to  him ;  on 
which  occasion  he  made  several  ludicrous  remarks  on 
the  mysterious  parts  of  the  Christian  Religion  ;  at  the 
same  time  be  laughed  at  the  Jews,  and  turned  Mahom¬ 
ed  and  Ali  equally  into  ridicule.”  And  after  some 
expressions  of  levity,  intimating  that  he  could  himself 
make  a  better  religion  than  any  that  had  yet  been  pro¬ 
duced,  u  he  dismissed  these  churchmen  and  translators 
with  some  small  presents,  not  equal  in  value  to  the  ex¬ 
pense  of  the  journey.”* 

This  version  of  the  Gospels,  prepared  by  command 
of  Nadir  Shah,  is  probably  the  same  with  that  which 
is  sometimes  found  in  the  hands  of  the  Armenian 
Priests  in  India.  A  copy  was  lately  shewn  to  an  Ori¬ 
ental  scholar  in  Bengal ,t  who  observed,  “  that  if  this 
was  the  same,  he  did  not  wonder  at  Nadir’s  contempt 
of  it.” 

The  number  of  natives  already  professing  Christian¬ 
ity  in  Persia,  and  who  are  prepared  to  receive  a  trans¬ 
lation  of  the  Scriptures,  is  very  considerable.  They 
consist  of  four  or  five  classes,  viz.  the  Georgian,  the 
Armenian,  the  Nestorian,  the  Jacobite,  and  the  Rom¬ 
ish  Christians.  The  Georgians  have  the  Bible  in  the 
Georgian  Language,  which  was  printed  at  Moscow  in 
1743;  but  the  language  is  not  so  generally  cultivated 
among  the  higher  ranks  as  the  Persian.  It  probably 
bears  the  same  relation  to  the  Persian,  which  the  Welsh 
does  to  the  English.  The  Armenians  have  a  version 
of  the  Bible  in  their  own  proper  tongue,  but  the  copies 
are  few  in  number.  The  Nestorian  and  Jacobite 
Christians  use  the  Syriac  Bible  :  but  it  is  yet  more  rare 
than  the  Armenian.  There  are,  besides,  multitudes  of 


*  Hamvay’s  Travels. 


*  Rev.  H.  Marlyn.’ 


RESPECTING  THE  PERSIANS. 


119 


Jews  in  Persia,  who,  as  well  as  these  different  classes 
of  Christians,  commonly  speak  the  vernacular  language 
of  the  country. 

The  Persian  Language  is  known  far  beyond  the  lim¬ 
its  of  Persia  proper.  It  is  spoken  at  all  the  Mussul¬ 
man  Courts  in  India,  and  is  the  usual  language  of  ju¬ 
dicial  proceedings  under  the  British  Government  in 
Hindostan.  It  is  next  in  importance  to  the  Arabic 
and  Chinese,  in  regard  to  the  extent  of  territory  through 
which  it  is  spoken,  being  generally  understood  from 
Calcutta  to  Damascus. 

Here  then  is  the  language,  spoken  over  nearly  one 
quarter  of  the  globe,  the  proper  tongue  of  a  great 
kingdom,  in  which  an  attempt  has  already  been  made 
by  royal  authority  to  obtain  a  translation  of  the  Chris¬ 
tian  Scriptures  ;  and  where  there  are,  at  a  low  com¬ 
putation,  two  hundred  thousand  Christians  ready  to 
receive  them.  Many  of  the  Persians  themselves  would 
read  tlie  Bible  with  avidity,  if  presented  to  them  in  an 
inviting  form.  The  cause  of  the  little  jealousy  of 
Christianity  in  Persia,  compared  with  that  which  is 
found  in  other  Mahomedan  States,  is  to  be  ascribed  to 
these  two  circumstances;  first,  That  Christianity  has 
always  existed  in  Persia:  the  Christian  natives  form¬ 
ing  a  considerable  part  of  the  population  ;  and  second¬ 
ly,  That  the  Persians  themselves  profess  so  lax  a  sys¬ 
tem  of  Islamism  that  they  have  been  accounted  by 
some  Mussulmans  a  kind  of  heritics. 

It  will  form  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  Persia,  when 
aversion  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  shall  begin 
to  be  known  generally  in  that  country.  But  the  nar¬ 
rative  of  Nadir  Shah’s  attempt  sufficiently  proves  that 
no  ordinary  scholar  is  qualified  to  undertake  it.  The 
author  of  such  a  translation  must  be  a  perfect  master 
of  the  Arabic  Language,  the  mother  of  the  Persic,  and 
familial  with  the  popular  and  classical  Persian.  He 
must,  moreover,  have  access  to  the  Scriptures  in  their 
original  tongues.  Such  a  person  we  think,  has  been 
loundin  Sabat  of  Arabia,  who  is  accounted  by  com¬ 
petent  judges,  “  to  be  the  first  Arabic  scholar  of  the 
age.”*  He  has  been  employed  for  nearly  four  years 

*  See  Report  of  Translations  by  Rev.  Henry  Martyn,  hereafter 


120 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


past  in  translating  the  Scriptures  into  the  Persian  -and 
Arabic  Languages,  in  conjunction  with  Mirza  Filrut 
of  Lucknow,  and  other  learned  natives.  Mirza  is 
himself  a  Persian  by  descent  and  a  man  of  liberal 
learning  among  his  countrymen.  He  visited  England 
some  years  ago,  and  was  afterwards  appointed  a  Per¬ 
sian  teacher,  and  a  translator  of  the  Scriptures  in  the 
College  of  Fort-William.  These  versions  by  Sabat 
and  Mirza,  are  conducted  under  the  superintendance 
of  the  Rev.  Henry  Martyn,  who  is  himself  an  Arabic 
and  Persian  scholar,  and  skilled  in  the  original  tongues 
of  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  Fie  is  a  chaplain  to  the 
Honorable  the  East  India  Company,  and  is  now  station¬ 
ed  at  Cawnpore  in  Bengal,  where  his  learned  coadju¬ 
tors  also  reside.  The  Gospels  of  St.  Matthew  and 
St.  Luke,  translated  by  Sabat  into  the  Persian  Language, 
have  already  been  printed  ;  and  800  copies  are  stated 
in  the  last  Report,  dated  May  1810,  to  have  been  de¬ 
posited  in  the  Bibliotheca  Biblica,  at  Calcutta,  for 
sale. 


THE  ARABIANS. 

Arabia  was  the  country  in  which  St.  Paul  first  open¬ 
ed  his  heavenly  ministry.  “  When- it  pleased  God,” 
saith  that  Apostle,  (<  Who  called  me  by  his  grace,  to 
reveal  his  Son  in  me,  that  I  might  preach  him  among 
the  heathen;  immediately  I  conferred  not  with  flesh 
and  blood  ;  neither  went  I  up  to  Jerusalem,  but  I  went 
into  Arabia,”  Gal.  i,  17.  Christianity  flourished 
very  extensively  in  Arabia,  during  the  first  centuries. 
History  informs  us,  that  “  the  disciples  of  Christ  had 
filled  its  provinces  with  the  Churches  of  God,”*  and 
frequent  mention  is  made,  in  the  early  monuments,  of 
the  Bishops  of  Arabia.  |  This  early  influence  of  the 
Gospel  in  that  region  might  be  expected  ;  for  Arabia 

*  ©fet;  yo ExkX tjFiuv  oi  Xgttrrov  fixOtircti  tu s 
ravTcts  e7rXt)guTa.v .  Procopius  Gaz.  Ps.  XI.  14. 

•f  See  them  enumerated  in  Beveridge’s  Canones  Conciliorum. 
The  Bishop  of  Busorah  was  present  at  the  Council  of  Antioch  in 
a.  d-  269. 


RESPECTING  THE  ARABIANS. 


121 


adjoins  Palestine  ;  and  the  climate  of  the  country,  and 

the  manners  and  customs  of  tiie  people,  are  nearly  the 
same.*  ' 

There  are  some  circumstances  which  remarkably 
distinguish  Arabia  ;  a  recollection  of  which,  in  connex¬ 
ion  with  others,  ought  now  to  draw  our  attention  to  it 
Arabia  was  inhabited  by  the  first  generations  of  men 
There  it  pleased  the  Creator  first  to  reveal  himself  to 

ed  fC,!f  UreS  5  Und  m  ltS  ^c*nity  the  Son  of  God  assum¬ 
ed  the  human  nature.  In  Arabia,  the  faculties  of  the 
human  mind  attain  to  as  high  a  degree  of  strength  and 

worn’  6 VG  j  af  thlS  day,t  as  111  any  other  country  in  the 
world  ;  and  the  symmetry  and  beauty  of  the  human  per 

rthMimtri: ;enot  ^passed  by  any  other  portion 

*  ovtocs  TOIS  lovfcuois  etKor,  KXI  rpttr6f/e 

to  Y.qQwyt^ct  ao-Qctt.  ^  * 

Being  neighbors  to  the  Jews,  it  was  likelv  that  ^ 

receive  the  Gospel.  Proc.  ubi  mjm.  J  they  Sh°uld  first 
T  See  Letter  from  the  Rev  Henrv  Afirtm  „ 
quoted  in  “The  Star  in  the  East,”  7  ‘^At  ^tervXTrefd8^’ 
Poetry  with  Mirza.  and  the  Koran  with  Sabat  Tlf"'*' 
Guentals,  with  whom  I  translate  the  Scrintures  .In’  •  T  'ese 
point  out  the  connexion  between  everv  '  qu,re  to 

often  more  than  I  can T  i  h  ,,,?-  7  ^  e"tences>  which  is 

serve  all  the  rules  of  writing  Sabat  thnThCCUrate,ly  the>’  ob* 
has  not  lost  a  jot  of  his  Arabfan  notion^  of  superiority  fliTT 
upon  Europeans  as  mushrooms  ;  and  seems  to  reo-n^i  IIe  00  <s 

srSF'Jrjv  v  shou“'  "S*  sss.tes 

Mathematician  of  hi,  year,  "FcaSd^ta  SSS  T  M 
nof  bee.n  two  years  in  society  with  Sabat.  01  ’  d  he  had 

.■» «■  ««.  English  in  India, 
fat  superior  to  their  per It  se-me  ?f  EnEl,sh 

nothing  striking  or  noble  in  the  English  r  hl?’  lhat  tllere  Was 
with  the  dignityand  beauty  of  t heASbianst hTu^’ /omp ared 
in  general  flat  and  torpid,  and  the  eyes  with. Jut  fiie  'Vt^A  Tfre 
informed  him,  that  the  English  were  comnoid  i  ff  A(ltllor 
tions,  and  most  of  these  from  mid  o.  i  P°.i  °f  different  na- 

lienee  there  tva,  a great ^dh^silyt  thet  annl ""  di,Mles  ‘ 

of  very  ordinary  aspect  and  others  nf  o  r  ^1?  aiar*ce,  some  heir,p 
even  an  Arab  JI  vwuAwhT  md  <**«*  which 


122 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


tv,  by  the  Mahomedan  delusion,  which  was  to  extend 
to  “  a  third  part  of  men.”  This  predicted  apostasy 
was  to  be  effected,  not  by  returning  to  Paganism,  but 
by  a  corruption  of  Christianity ;  that  is,  by  admitting 
some  part  of  the  former  revelation  of  God,  and  pre¬ 
tending  to  a  new  revelation.  The  delusion  itself  is 
aptly  compared  in  the  prophecy  concerning  it,  to 
“  smoke  issuing  from  the  bottomless  pit;”  and  its  great 
extent  is  expressed  by  its  “  darkening  the  sun  and  the 
air.”*  And  since  this  defection  was  to  be  produced 
by  a  corruption  of  revealed  Truth,  it  was  necessary 
that  the  Scriptures  should  be  first  corrupted  ;  for  where 
the  genuine  Scriptures  are  in  the  hands  of  men,  there 
is  little  danger  of  general  infidelity.  Accordingly,  this 
preparative  for  the  great  Imposture  took  place  in  the 
fifth  and  sixth  centuries.  During  that  period,  corrupt 
and  apocryphal  gospels  prevailed  so  generally  in  Ara¬ 
bia  and  in  the  neighboring  regions,  that  it  is  even  doubt¬ 
ful  whether  Mahomed  himself  ever  saw  a  genuine  co¬ 
py  of  the  New  Testament.  It  has  been  argued  by 
learned  men,  from  the  internal  evidence  of  his  compo¬ 
sition,  that  he  did  not.  But  now  even  the  apocryphal 
gospels  have  vanished  from  view,  by  the  long  preva¬ 
lence  of  the  Koran. 

But  the  duration  of  this  delusion  was  to  have  a  limit. 
“The  smoke  was  to  darken  the  sun  and  the  air”  only 
for  a  definite  period.  This  period  is  expressed  in  pro¬ 
phetic  Scripture  in  a  three-fold  form  of  words  to  evince 
its  certainty. 

1.  “  The  Holy  City  shall  they  tread  under  foot 
forty  and  two  months,” f  Rev.  xi,  2.  This  marks  the 
period  of  the  Mahomedan  power.  The  same  expres¬ 
sion  is  applied  afterwards  to  the  duration  of  the  Papal 
power.  The  depression  of  the  true  Faith  was  of  course 
to  last  the  same  time  ;  as  expressed  in  the  two  follow¬ 
ing  sentences. 

2.  “  The  Witnesses  (for  the  true  Faith)  shall  pro¬ 
phesy  a  thousand  two  hundred  and  threescore  days , 
clothed  in  sackcloth,”!  Rev.  xi,  3. 

*  Rev.  is,  2. 

f  A  day  for  a  year  ; 

42  months=42x30r=  1260  days  ....  =1260  years. 

j  A  day  for  a  year ;  1260  days . =1260  'year*. 


RESPECTING  THE  ARABIANS. 


123 

3.  “  The  Woman  (or  Church  of  Christ)  fled  into 
the  wilderness,  and  was  nourished  for  a  time,  times , 
and  half  a  time.”]  Rev.  xii,  14. 

.  T.hls  ^st  expression,  «  a  time,  times,  and  half  a  time,” 
is  also  used  by  the  prophet  Daniel,  who  foretels  the 
same  events,  to  mark  the  period  when  God  shall  “have 
accomplished  to  scatter  the  power  of  the  holy  people,” 

Dan  xii  7  terminate  his  indignation  against  Israel. 

It  is  very  well  known  in  the  Rast  at  what  time 
Mahomed  appeared.  Let  the  Mahomedan  then  be 
infoimed,  that  he  is  to  count  1260  years  from  the 
Hejira,  and  then  expect  the  fulfilment  of  a  remark¬ 
able  Prophecy,  made  by  Christ,  whom  the  Koran  ac¬ 
knowledges  to  be  “a  true  Prophet.”  Let  him  be  in- 
wlutt  e^phcitly>  thaf  the  reign  of  Mahomedanism 
he  Ivl  Ih  Ve  ,an,  .end:,  And>  if  he  be  unwilling  to 
ihl  /  ,  hlS,raS  Um  lf  he  does  not  already  perceive 
the  decline  of  Mahomedanism.  If  he  be  ignorant  of 

this  fact,  inform  him  of  the  history  of  events  In- 

West  bvmthehpthe  C°rrUption  °f  ^bristianity  in  the 
ri  i31  .y.  tjlp  P°pe,  was  coeval  with  the  corruption  of 

of  h„T,‘,“y  ln  tlle  EaS^b>-  ^horned  i  that  the  decline 
ot  both  these  powers,  is,  at  this  time  equally  advanc- 
ed ;  and  that  the  fail  of  both  is  to  be  cLtempom^e. 

h  B  i?'",”'  !!'e  ‘lecline  Papal  Rome, 

the  Roman  Catholic  in  the  East  will  declare  it  to  him. 

thinks  ‘ten  ““  C,allinS  himse'f  a  Christian,  who 
t  inks  that  these  prophecies  are  dubious  1  If  it  be  true 

,  “  ('0d  Lath>  at  “‘if  time,  revealed  himself  to  man, 

ser  e  Th  ^ '■  The  Author  "«'<1  here  ob- 

filment^  S i  'h<=  inattention  of  men  in  general  to  the  ful- 

common^  £  D‘™e  predictions,  does  not  proceed  so 

mnce  of  ^‘c7m  PnnC‘P!eS  of  infideli'y  from  igno- 
4  -f01'",— |)urc  ignorance  of  historical  facts. 

T  e  ai  e  men  of  liberal  education  in  England,  who 

are  more  ignorant  of  the  history  of  the  workh Indent 
and  inodern,  ,mUl  the  TnclaHm  of  aJ_ 

t  hall  some  Hindoos  and  Arabians,  whom  we  know  in 

f  A  time,  times,  and  half  a  time=a  year 
two  years  and  half  of  a  year  "  ’ 

two  months =1260  days 


=a  year,} 

=forty-  C  — 


1260  years. 


124 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


the  East,  who  have  not  been  Christians  above  a  few 
years.  Our  Saviour  reprehended  this  neglect  of  “  the 
word  spoken  from  heaven”  in  these  words  ;  “  Ye  can 
discern  the  face  of  the  sky  and  of  the  earth  ;  but  how 
is  it  that  ye  cannot  discern  this  time  ?”  Luke  xii.  56. 

The  Author  has  noticed  the  foregoing  circumstances 
in  connexion  with  Arabia,  to  illustrate  the  importance 
of  preparing  a  version  of  the  Scriptures  for  that  coun¬ 
try,  at  the  present  era.  But  the  Arabic  Language 
hath  gone  forth  far  beyond  the  bounds  of  Arabia,  and 
is  known  to  almost  “  a  third  part  of  men”  in  the  East. 
The  Koran  has  consecrated  it  in  the  eyes  of  millions, 
in  central  Asia,  on  the  continent  of  Africa,  and  in  the 
isles  of  the  Indian  Ocean. 

A  version  of  the  whole  Bible  in  Arabic  has  come 
down  to  us  ;  but  it  is  now  antiquated,  like  the  Persian, 
both  in  dialect  and  orthography.  It  does  not  appear 
that  any  composition  in  a  living  language,  of  a  higher 
date  than  about  five  hundred  years,  can  be  of  popular 
use,  unless  we  learn  it  from  our  infancy.  The  lan¬ 
guage  of  our  own  Scriptures  becomes  now  peculiar  in 
many  respects,  and  distinct  from  the  popular  speech. 
It  is  supposed,  that  the  Arabic  Translation  is  upwards 
of  a  thousand  years  old.  Had  there  been  no  inter¬ 
ruption  in  the  profession  of  Christianity  in  Arabia,  the 
ancient  Translation  might  possibly  have  sufficed  :  in 
like  manner  as  the  Hebrew  is  still  understood  by  the 
Jews,  and  the  Syriac  by  the  Syrian  Christians.  But 
when  a  new  religion  is  to  be  proposed  to  a  people,  we 
must  use  the  most  dignified  medium,  and  present  it  in 
the  language  which  is  in  popular  use.  The  present 
Arabic  Translation  in  the  Polyglot  is  perfectly  intelli¬ 
gible  to  those  who  will  study  it  with  a  lexicon  ;  but  we 
certainly  cannot  offer  it  at  this  time  as  conveying  the 
meaning  of  the  Christian  Scriptures  to  the  Land  of 
Yemen,  or  Arabia  the  Happy. 

Soon  after  Sabat,  the  Arabian,  had  been  converted 
to  Christianity,*  the  object  which  chiefly  occupied  his 
thoughts,  was  a  translation  of  the  Scriptures  for  his 
native  country.  He  himself  could  easily  read  and 

*  See  an  account  of  his  conversion  in  the  “  Star  in  the  East.” 


RESPECTING  THE  ARABIANS. 


12$ 


understand  the  existing  translation  ;  for  he  is  a  learned 
man,  and  acquainted  radically  with  every  dialect  of 

!v!e  fP8  ’  and  was  by  means  of  that  translation 
that  he  himself  became  a  Christian  ;f  but  he  says  he 

should  be  ashamed  to  offer  the  Bible  to  his  country¬ 
men  in  its  present  form  ;  such  a  version  would  neither 
be  acceptable  to  the  learned,  nor  intelligible  to  the 
unlearned.  ° 

1  his  noble  Arabian  has  been  now  three  years,  or 
rnoie,  employed  in  translating  the  Scriptures  into  the 
Arabic  Language,  with  the  aid  of  other  learned  Asi¬ 
atics,  under  the  superintendance  of  the  Rev.  H.  Mar- 
tyn,  who  has  himself  been  long  a  student  of  the  Ara¬ 
bic  1  ongue.  Mr.  Martyn  has  lately  stated  their  rea¬ 
sons  tor  undertaking  a  new  translation,  which  the  Au¬ 
thor  will  here  subjoin,  in  deference  to  the  learned  at 

home,  who  may  think  some  further  explanation  neces¬ 
sary.  r 

“  Of  the  Arabic  version  of  the  Polyglot,  the  late  pro- 
lessor  Carlyle,  m  his  copy  of  Proposals  for  printing  a 
new  edition  of  it,  speaks  in  the  highest  terms,  and  ob- 
serves,  that  it  was  used  both  by  Jews  and  Christians  as 
a  faithful  and  elegant  representation  of  their  respective 
books  of  faith.  But  even  supposing  that  both  Jews  and 
Christians  are  satisfied  with  the  translation,  no  one,  who 
has  had  an  opportunity  of  observing  the  degraded 
state  of  these  people  in  the  East,  would  admit  them  as 
competent  judges  of  the  Arabic.  The  professor  has 
adduced,  in  favor  of  the  version  in  question,  the  opin- 
lonsof  Erpemus,  Gabriel,  Sionita,  and  Pocock  ;  names 
of  high  consideration  in  Arabic  learning,  particularly 
Uie  last.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  such  of  the  Ma- 
nomedans  as  have  seen  this  version,  think  very  differ- 

cop-v  of  ^ew  Testament,  which  fell  into  the  hands 
of  Sabat,  was  one  of  the  edition  published  in  1727  by  “  the  So 
ciety  for  promoting  Christian  Knowledge,”  revised  by  Salomon* 
Negri.  An  investment  of  these  Arabic  Testaments'  was  sent 
about  1/59,  to  the  Society’s  Missionaries  in  Calcutta,  who  circula¬ 
ted  them  through  different  provinces.  The  following  is  a  well- 

aCrvnr  faCil :  «  hey  sent  ,S(;me  C0Pies  to  tlle  Mahomedan  Priests 
at  Delhi,  who  requested  that  the  supply  might  be  continued.’* 
See  Proceedings  of  the  Society  of  that  period. 

L  2 


126 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


ently  of  it.  If  we  would  invite  the  fastidious  Mussul¬ 
man  to  review  the  sacred  law  which  he  supposes  abro¬ 
gated,  let  us  not  neglect  our  present  opportunities  ; 
but,  with  such  an  instrument  as  Sabat  in  our  possession, 
let  us  attempt  at  least,  to  send  forth  the  Scriptures  in  a 
style  which  shall  command  respect,  eveninNujed  and 
Hejaz.” 

Mr.  Martyn  adverts  to  the  new  edition  of  the  Poly¬ 
glot  translation,  now  publishing  in  England,  under  the 
patronage  of  the  Bishop  of  Durham,  and  highly  com¬ 
mends  the  design.  “  We  rejoice,”  writes  he,  “  to  hear 
that  the  old  Polyglot  is  going  forth  at  last  in  a  new 
dress.  It  may  be  useful  to  some  in  Asia,  as  it  was  to 
Sabat.”  And,  in  regard  to  the  extent  of  country  through 
which  the  Arabic  is  spoken,  he  observes,  that  the  Ara¬ 
bic  translation  is  of  more  importance  than  one  fourth  of 
all  the  translations  now  in  hand.  “  We  will  begin,” 
says  he,  “  to  preach  to  Arabia,  Syria,  Persia,  Tartary, 
part  of  India  and  of  China,  half  of  Africa*  all  the  sea- 
coast  of  the  Mediterranean  and  Turkey;  and  one  tongue 
shall  suffice  for  them  all.” 

The  proposal  for  publishing  the  Arabic  Bible  has 
already  met  with  a  very  liberal  patronage  in  India, 
It  is  intended  to  publish  an  edition  of  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment,  in  a  splendid  form,  for  the  use  of  the  chief  men 
in  Arabia  and  Persia,  resembling,  as  nearly  as  possi¬ 
ble,  their  own  beautiful  writing.  The  Universities, 
and  literary  bodies  in  Europe,  will,  no  doubt,  be  dis¬ 
posed  to  subscribe  for  some  copies  of  this  truly  classi¬ 
cal  Work.  It  is  stated  in  the  last  accounts,  dated 
May  1810,  that  the  translation  of  the  New  Testament 
was  expected  to  be  finished  by  the  end  of  the  present 
year,  1811. 


THE  ARABIC  SCHOOL 

FOR  THE 

TRANSLATION  OF  THE  SCRIPTURES. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Martyn,  B.  D.  Fellow  of  St.  John’s 
College,  Cambridge,  went  out  to  India  about  five  year3 
ago.  His  ipudifications  for  the  general  superintend- 


RESPECTING  THE  ARABIANS. 


127 


ance  of  scriptural  translation,  are  truly  respectable. 
After  acquiring  the  highest  academical  honors  in  sci¬ 
ence,  and  a  just  celebrity  for  classical  knowledge,  he 
devoted  himself  to  the  acquirement  of  the  Arabic  and 
Hindostanee  Languages.  His  mind  was  strongly 
impiessed,  at  an  early  period,  with  the  duty  and  im¬ 
portance  of  communicating  the  revealed  Religion  to 
heathen  nations.  He  had  a  spirit  to  follow  the 
steps  of  Swartz  and  Brainerd,  and  preach  to  the  na¬ 
tives  in  the  woods  ;  but  his  peculiar  qualifications,  as  a 
cntical  scholar,  have  fixed  him  to  the  department  of 
translation.  He  had  not  been  long  in  Bengal  before 
he  was  joined  by  Sabat  and  Mirza,  and  other  learned 
natives  ;  so  that  they  now  form  an  Arabic  School ,  from 
which  it  is  not  pretended  that  there  is  any  appeal  in  In¬ 
dia.* 

Mr.  Martyn’s  own  proper  department  is  the  Hindos¬ 
tanee  Language.  Soon  after  his  arrival,  he  translated 
the  Liturgy  of  the  Church  of  England  into  that  tongue  • 
being  the  first  who  introduced  the  Church  Service  to 
our  native  subjects  in  Bengal.  He  found  that  many  of 
the  wives  of  the  English  soldiers  were  Hindostanee  wo¬ 
men,  proiessing  Christianity,  but  who  did  not  understand 
the  English  Language,  and  being  desirous  to  discharge 
faithfully  the  duties  of  his  clerical  office,  he  thought  it 
proper  to  attempt  such  a  translation.  After  reading- 
prayers  to  the  soldiers  in  English,  he  reads  Hindosta¬ 
nee  prayers  to  their  wives,  and  to  other  natives.  This  ori¬ 
ginal  work, having  received  repeated  revision  and  amend¬ 
ment,  is  esteemed  by  competent  judges  to  be  a  perspic¬ 
uous  and  faithful  version  of  the  sublime  original.  He 
also  translated,  about  the  same  time,  the  Parables  and 
parabolic  speeches,  or  apophthegms,  of  our  Saviour  in¬ 
to  the  same  language,  with  an  explanation  subjoined 
to  each.  J 

But  the  grand  work  which  has  chiefly  engaged  the 
attention  of  this  Oriental  Scholar,  during  the  last  four 


*  As  Mr.  Martyn  anti  his  associates  at  Cownpore  constitute  the 
Arabic  School  in  India,  for  the  translation  of  the  Scriptures  ;  so  Dr 
Carey,  and  the  Missionaries  at  Serampore,  compose  the  Shanscrit 
See  two  Memoirs  lately  published,  and  the  Proceeding* 
©f  the  Baptist  Society,  published  annually.  g 


123 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


years,  is  his  Translation  of  the  whole  Bible  intd  the 
Hindostanee  Language.  It  has  been  often  acknow¬ 
ledged,  that  a  version  of  the  Scriptures  into  what  is 
justly  called  “  the  grand  popular  language  of  Hindos- 
tan,”  would  be  the  most  generally  useful  in  India. 
Mr.  Martyn  is  in  no  haste  to  print  any  part  of  his 
Work,  being  desirous  that  it  should  be  first  revised 
and  approved  by  the  best  scholars.  His  chief  diffi¬ 
culty  is  in  settling  the  orthography  of  the  language, 
and  in  ascertaining  what  proportion  of  words  ought 
to  be  admitted  from  the  Persian  and  Arabic  fountains ; 
for  the  Hindostanee  is  yet  in  its  infancy,  as  a  written 
and  grammatical  tongue  ;  and  it  is  probable,  that  Mr. 
Martyn’s  Work  will  contribute  much  to  fix  its  stand¬ 
ard.  To  evince  the  care  and  accuracy  which  he  pro¬ 
poses  to  himself  in  this  Translation,  it  will  be  proper 
to  subjoin  his  last  official  Report  on  the  subject,  dated 
December,  1809. 

“  The  Hindostanee  New  Testament  has  been  finish¬ 
ed  some  time,  and  submitted  to  the  inspection  of  a  va¬ 
riety  of  persons  in  different  parts  of  the  country  ;  but 
the  opinions  formed  of  the  Work  have  not  hitherto 
appeared  to  justify  its  publication.  I  am  perfectly 
convinced  of  the  inutility  of  attempting  to  please  all ; 
yet  I  thought  it  better  to  withhold  from  the  Press 
what  longer  experience,  and  the  possession  of  more 
efficient  instruments,  might  enable  me  to  send  forth,  in 
a  form  more  calculated  to  give  general  satisfaction. 
The  person,  whose  assistance  I  was  most  anxious  to 
obtain,  has  once  more  joined  me;  and  I  am  now  wil¬ 
ling  to  hope  that  the  Word  of  God  may  be  presented 
to  the  native  of  India,  so  as  to  be  intelligible  to  the 
generality  of  readers.  The  grammar  of  the  language 
is  nearly  fixed  by  Mr.  Gilchrist’s  learned  and  useful 
labors ;  but  it  is  still  difficult  to  write  in  it  with  a  view 
to  general  utility.  For  the  higher  Mahomedans  and 
men  of  learning  will  hardly  peruse,  with  satisfaction, 
a  book  in  which  the  Persian  has  not  lent  its  aid  to 
adorn  the  style.  To  the  rest,  a  larger  proportion  of 
Hindee  is  more  acceptable.  The  difficulty  of  ascer¬ 
taining  the  point  equally  removed  from  either  extreme, 
would  be  considerably  lessened,  were  there  any  prose 


RESPECTING  THE  ARABIANS. 


120 


compositions  in  the  language,  of  acknowledged  puri¬ 
ty.  But  unfortunately  no  such  standard  exists :  no 
works  of  any  description  indeed  have  been  found  but 
poems.  Lately  some  translations  in  Hindostanee  prose 
have  issued  from  the  College  of  Fort  William  ;  but  as 
they  have  not  yet  stood  the  test  of  time,  and  are  very 
little  known  in  the  country,  they  could  not  be  safely  re¬ 
ferred  to  as  a  standard.  Thus  I  have  been  left  to  the 
guidance  of  my  own  judgment  far  more  than  I  could 
have  wished.” 

In  regard  to  the  Arabic  and  Persian  Translations, 
both  of  which  Mr.  Martyn  superintends,  as  well  as 
the  Hindostanee,  he  thus  writes  : 

(i  In  the  Persian  and  Arabic  Translations  there  are 
happily  no  such  difficulties.  The  valuable  qualities  of 
our  Christian  brother,  Nathaniel  Sabat,  render  this 
part  of  the  work  comparatively  easy.  As  he  is,  I 
trust,  a  serious  Christian,  the  study  ’  of  the  Word  of 
God,  and  the  translation  of  it,  are  of  course  a  matter 
of  choice  with  him,  and  a  rigid  adherence  to  the  ori¬ 
ginal  a  point  of  duty.*  As  a  scholar,  his  acquirements 
are  very  considerable.  He  was  educated  under  the 
care  of  the  most  learned  man  in  Bagdad;  and  having 
continued  to  exercise  himself  in  composition,  he  has 
acquired  in  consequence  a  critical  acumen,  and  great 
command  of  words.  His  ill  state  of  health  renders  it 
impossible  to  say  exactly  when  the  Work  he  has  under¬ 
taken  will  be  finished  ;  but  if  nothing  untoward  happen 
to  interrupt  us,  you  may  expect  the  New  Testament 
in  the  three  languages,  in  the  course  of  two  years.” 

*  The  solicitude  of  these  translators  to  infuse  the  true  meaning 
of  the  original  into  their  versions,  and  not  to  trust  entirely  to  the 
English  Translation,  will  appear  from  the  following  observations 
cf  Mr.  Martyn  in  his  last  letter.  “  The  Psalms  we  must  leave 
till  the  end  of  the  New  Testament,  for  this  solid  reason,  that  I  do 
not  understand  a  considerable  portion  of  that  book.  Much  of  the 
present  1  ranslation  is  certainly  unintelligible.  It  appears  to  me, 
that  the  two  Royal  Authors  have  suffered  more  from  the  plebeian 
touch  of  their  interpreters,  than  even  the  Prophets,  or  any  others 
but  Job.  Hebrew  has  been  of  late  my  constant  meditation,” 


1 30 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


THE  JEWS. 

There  are  three  remarkable  prophecies  concerning 
the  Jews. 

1.  “  The  children  of  Israel  shall  abide  many  days 
without  a  King,  and  without  a  Prince,  and  without  a 
Sacrifice,  and  without  an  Image,  and  without  an  Ephod, 
and  without  Teraphim,”  Hos.  iii,  4. 

2.  “  The  Lord  shall  scatter  thee  among  all  people, 
from  the  one  end  of  the  earth  even  unto  the  other,” 
Deut.  xxix.  64.  And  yet,  “  the  people  shall  dwell 
alone,  and  shall  not  be  reckoned  amongst  the  nations,” 
Num.  xxiii.  9. 

3.  “  Thou  shalt  become  an  astonishment,  a  proverb, 
and  a  bye-word  among  all  the  nations  whither  the  Lord 
shall  lead  thee.  Among  these  nations  shalt  thou  find 
no  ease,  neither  shall  the  sole  of  thy  foot  have  rest,” 
Deut.  xxviii,  37.  65. 

The  first  of  these  prophecies  is  very  remarkable  ; 
for  who  ever  heard  of  a  nation  “  abiding  many  days” 
without  its  civil  and  religious  polity,  and  surviving  its 
political  existence  ?  The  very  assertion  seems  to  in¬ 
volve  an  absurdity.  Did  the  Egyptians,  Chaldeans, 
Greeks,  or  Romans,  survive  their  civil  and  religious 
polity  ? 

The  second  prediction  is  not  less  singular  than  the 
former;  for  if  the  Jews  were  to  be  received  among  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  why  should  they  not  “  be  reckon¬ 
ed  with  the  nations?”  Would  any  man,  in  a  remote 
age,  venture  to  foretel  that  there  was  a  certain  nation, 
which,  in  the  ages  to  come,  would  be  received  and  tol¬ 
erated  by  all  other  nations,  merely  to  be  persecuted  ?* 

*  To  this  day  the  Jews  “  are  not  reckoned”  with  the  English 
nation.  The  prophetical  record  influenced  the  last  parliamentary 
proceeding  respecting  them.  In  1753,  a  Bill  was  passed  to  nat¬ 
uralize  the  Jews  ;  but  after  a  few  months  it  was  repealed,  the 
voice  of  the  people  demanded  that  the  devoted  nation  should 
“  not  be  reckoned  with  them.”  So  true  it  is  that  our  last  nation¬ 
al  deliberation  concerning  this  people  was  influenced  by  the  an¬ 
cient  prophecy.  The  time  is  now  come  when  Parliament  may 
restore  to  the  Jew  the  franchise  of  a  fellow-creature,  without 
contravening  the  Divine  decrees.  It  is  prophesied  again,  that 


RESPECTING  THE  JEWS. 


1S1 

But  the  third  prophecy  is  such  as  must  afford  a  con¬ 
templation  to  Infidelity,  to  the  end  of  time.  The  Jews 
were  to  become  “  an  astonishment,  and  a  proverb,  and 
a  bye-word  among  all  the  nations,”  because  they  shed 
the  blood  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  Now  it  is  not 
surprising  that  Christians  should  reproach  them  for 
such  a  crime.  But  how  should  we  expect  that  they 
would  be  «  trodden  down  of  the  heathen  world,”  who 
never  heard  of  such  a  Saviour?  Behold  the  Hindoo,  at 
this  day,  punishing  the  Jew,  without  knowing  the 
crime  of  which  he  has  been  guilty  ! 

These  three  prophecies  have  been  manifestly  fulfill- 
ed  ;  and  if  we  had  no  other  evidence,  this  is  sufficient 
to  prove  “that  there  is  a  God,  and  that  he  hath  made 
a  revelation  to  man.” 

1  here  is  a  fourth  prophecy  concerning  this  people, 
which  will  shortly  be  accomplished.  The  Prophet 
Hosea,  after  foretelling  that  the  children  of  Israel 
should  abide  many  days  without  a  King,  adds  these 
words :  _  Afterward  shall  they  return,  and  seek  the 
Loul  their  God,  and  David  their  king;  and  shall  fear 
the  Loul  and  his  goodness  in  the  latter  days,”  Hosea 

•I  he  question,  which  is  now  in  the  mouth  of  every 
Christian  is  that  which  was  asked  in  the  vision  of  the 

Ft  he  ^  ihaniei  °nr  lhe  Same  Subiect  ’  “  How  long  shall 
\  b®  to,  thf  °r  these  wonders  ?”  Dan.  xii,  6.  When 
shall  the  indignation  against  the  holy  people  be  ac¬ 
complished  .”  Dan.  xi,  31  ;  that  they  may  “  return  and 
seek  the  Lord  their  God,  and  David  their  king  ?” 

To  Daniel  the  Prophet,  and  to  John  the  Evangelist 
was  given  a  revelation  of  the  great  events  of  the  geS 
era1  Church  to  the  end  of  time.  Daniel  foretels  ffiat 
the  Christian  Church  shall  be  oppressed  bv  the  perse¬ 
cuting  powers  for  “  a  time,  times,  and  the  dividing  of 

f  tUT!e’  Dan-  vu’  25‘  The  same  period  he  assigns 
foi  the  accomplishment  of  the  indignation  against  the 

“  Israel  shall  return  to  the  Lord  their  God  ”  and  that  , 

of  this  event  is  not  far  remote.  In  obeffience  then  to  t  H‘°d 

the  St"ifhthern3!bllC  and  S°lemn  manner>  as  an  wampteto 


132 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


holy  people  Israel.  “  One  said,  how  long  shall  it  be  to 
the  end  of  these  wonders  ?  And  I  heard  the  man  cloth¬ 
ed  in  linen,  which  was  upon  the  waters  of  the  river, 
when  he  held  up  his  right  hand  and  his  left  hand  unto 
heaven,  and  sware  by  him  that  liveth  for  ever,  that  it 
shall  be  for  a  time,  times  and  a  half  ;  and  when  he 
shall  have  accomplished  to  scatter  the  power  of  the 
holy  people,  all  these  things  shall  be  fulfilled,”  Dan. 
xii,  7.  Now  the  same  form  of  words  is  used  in  the 
Revelation  of  St.  John,  to  express  the  duration  of 
thet  Papal  and  Mahomedan  powers.  Oppressed  by 
them,  the  Church  of  Christ  was  to  remain  deso¬ 
late  in  the  wilderness,  “  for  a  time,  times,  and  half 
of  a  time,”  Rev.  xii,  14.  Every  one,  who  is  erudite 
in  sacred  prophecy,  will  understand  that  this  great 
period  of  Daniel  and  St.  John  commences  at  the  same 
era,  namely,  the  rise  of  the  persecuting  powers;  and 
that  its  duration  is  1260  years.* 

Here  then  are  three  great  events  hastening  to  their 
period  ;  the  extinction  of  the  Papal  dominion  ;  the  sub¬ 
version  of  the  Mahomedan  power  ;  and  “  the  accom¬ 
plishment  of  the  Divine  indignation  against  the  holy 
people,”  or  the  return  of  the  people  of  Israel  “  to  seek 
the  Lord  their  God,  and  David  their  king.” 

Our  blessed  Saviour  has  not  left  an  event  of  this  im¬ 
portance  without  notice.  “  The  Jews,”  saith  he,  “  shall 
be  led  away  captive  into  all  nations;  and  Jerusalem 
shall  be  trodden  down  of  the  Gentiles,  until  the  times 
of  the  Gentiles  be  fulfilled.”  Luke  xxi,  24.  What 
these  “  times  of  the  Gentiles”  are,  our  Lord  has  ex¬ 
plained  in  his  subsequent  Revelation  to  St.  John. 
“  The  court  which  is  without  the  temple  is  given  unto 
the  Gentiles  ;  and  the  holy  city  thall  they  tread  under 
foot  forty  and  two  months  ;”  or,  in  prophetical 
language,  at  a  day  for  a  year,  1260  years.  Rev.  xi,  2. 

The  apostle  Paul  hath  also  recorded  this  event.  “  I 
would  not,  brethren,  that  ye  should  be  ignorant  of  this 
mystery,  that  blindness,  in  partis  happened  to  Israel, 
until  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  be  come  in  ;  and  so  all 
Israel  shall  be  saved,”  Rom.  xi,  25.  The  fulness  of 

*  See  this  period  explained  in  p.  12 2,  123. 


respecting  the  jews. 


133 


t.me  for  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles  will  be  come 

‘  “  %°  Mabom-dan  and  Papal  obstructions  are 

U-  ,  ,  Sri7mlS  85  tl,e  faU  of  the  Pope  in  the 

persecnl?  '  r j 1  f  *.he  tJast’  b"ih  of  whom 

persecuttu  tne  Jews  to  death,  will  probably  be  the 

ccCsaof  °th  !Ware,?ing  *h.e  JeWS  to  con“to  the  evident 
botli  thatrellS10n  which  predicted  the  rise  and  fall  of 

wbi«thf,?E?d  ?r°FheCy  °f  the  aP°st,e  Paul  ^  this 
subject, _  is  that  which  respects  the  consequence  of  the 

conversion  of  the  Jews.  «  The  receiving  of  the  Jews  ” 

saith  he,  u  What  shall  it  be  to  the  wSrld,  bu  lift 

FROM  THE  dead  ?”  Rom.  xi,  15.  Dispersed  as  they 

are  in  all  countries,  and  speaking  the  languages  of  afl 

countries,  they  will  form  a°  body  of  li^ehers 

thedScr?mur^dfpnH  ^  °n!y  sa7»  “  Behold 

.  „  ^criptures  of  God,  m  our  possession  ;  read  our  his- 

th.ere’  as  foretold  three  thousand  years  a«-o,  and 

lead  the  events  m  the  annals  of  nations.  We  are 

witnesses  to  the  world,  and  the  world  to  us.  Let  the 

who  e  race  01  mankind  unite  and  examine  the  fact  ” 

earth  3^"lh®J>Ita"ts  ofuthe  World,  and  dwellers  on  the 
t }  ’  7e>  when  the  Lord  lifteth  up  an  ensign  on 

the  mountains  :  and  when  he  bloweth  a  trumpet,  hear 

ihewcHd1^^111’/'  T,hU5  wi]I  their  preaching  be  to 
me  uoi  Id  “  life  from  the  dead.”  b 

the  P  lf  ,the  C?n*,ersion  of  Israel  is  take  place  when 

tS”hesei0?rS  ''aVe  faIlen-  a"tl 

it  mbvi.f  1  lat  these  events  are  near  at  hand  ? 

between  Jews^-Hn '■  S°me  si§ns  of  conciliation 

visiblT  a  a  Chns  iRns  would  now  begin  to  be 
com  tries  beo  I"  ^ , the  fact  ?  Christfans  in  all 
against ihe hokn?  '°"s.mer’  that  “  the  indignation 
ny  events  ^  ^  acpomplished?  Ma¬ 

laxing  The  nrm  i  •  ^,‘e  ,n  Agnation  of  man  is  re- 
it  The  r  prophecies  have  been  fulfilled  regarding 

plished;  ’  that  1 J 


134 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


This  is  the  Divine  command.  And  behold,  Christians 
begin  now,  for  the  first  time,  “  to  speak  comfortably  to 
Jerusalem.” 

While  the  author  was  in  the  East,  the  state  of  the 
Jews,  who  are  dispersed  in  different  countries,  fre¬ 
quently  occupied  his  thoughts.  He  had  heard  that 
they  existed  in  distinct  colonies  in  certain  parts  of  In¬ 
dia  ;  that  some  of  them  had  arrived  long  before  the 
Christian  Era,  and  had  remained  in  the  midst  of  the 
Hindoos,  to  this  time,  a  distinct  and  separate  people, 
persecuted  by  the  native  princes,  from  age  to  age,  and 
yet  not  destroyed  ;  “burning,  like  the  bush  of  Moses, 
and  not  consumed and  he  had  a  strong  desire  “  to 
turn  aside  and  see  this  great  sight.”  His  mind  was 
impressed  with  the  conviction  that  their  preservation, 
in  such  a  variety  of  regions,  and  under  such  a  diver¬ 
sity  of  circumstances,  could  be  only  effected  by  the  in¬ 
terposition  of  the  Divine  Providence,  which  reserved 
them,  thus  distinct,  for  some  special  and  important 
purpose.  And  since  the  period  of  time  for  the  accom¬ 
plishment  of  this  purpose  was  considered  by  many  to 
be  fast  approaching,  he  wished  to  hear  the  sentiments 
of  the  Jews  from  their  own  lips,  and  to  learn  their  act¬ 
ual  impressions,  as  to  their  present  circumstances  and 
future  hopes. 

In  his  Memorial  respecting  the  Syrian  Christians, 
presented  to  Marquis  Wellesley,  the  Author  also  no¬ 
ticed  the  existence  of  an  ancient  colony  of  Jews  on  the 
coast  of  Malabar,  particularly  at  Cochin  ;  and  as  this 
place  had  recently  become  a  part  of  the  British  Empire, 
by  conquest  from  the  Dutch,  Lord  William  Bentinck, 
then  Governor  of  Madras,  who  had  received  letters 
from  the  Supreme  Government,  was  pleased  to  direct 
the  civil  officer,  who  had  charge  of  the  department  of 
Cochin,*  to  afford  him  every  aid  in  the  prosecution  of 
his  Researches.  His  first  tour  to  Cochin  was  in  No¬ 
vember  1806,  and  he  remained  in  the  country  till  Feb¬ 
ruary  1807.  He  again  visited  it  in  January  1808.  He 
has  only  room,  in  this  present  Work,  to  introduce  a  few 
notes  from  his  Journal. 


*  Thomas  Flower,  Esq. 


RESPECTING  THE  JEWS. 


“  Cochin ,  Feb.  4,  1807. 

“  I  have  been  now  in  Cochin,  or  its  vicinity,  for  up- 
wai  ds  of  tw o  months,  and  have  got  well  acquainted  with 
the  Jews.  They  do  not  live  in  the  city  of  Cochin,  but 
in  a  town  about  a  mile  distant  from  it,  called  Jews’-Town. 
It  is  almost  wholly  inhabited  by  the  Jews,  who  have  two 
respectable  Synagogues.  Among  them  are  some  very 
intelligent  men,  who  are  not  ignorant  of  the  present 
history  of  nations.  1  here  are  also  Jews  here  from  re¬ 
mote  parts  oi  Asia,  so  that  this  is  the  fountain  of  intel¬ 
ligence  concerning  that  people  in  the  East ;  there  being 
constant  communication  by  ships  with  the  Red  Sea,  the 
Persian  Gulf,  and  the  mouths  of  the  Indus.  The  resi¬ 
dent  Jews  are  divided  into  two  classes,  called  the  Jeru¬ 
salem  or  White  Jews  ;  and  the  Ancient  or  Black  Jews. 
1  he  YV  lute  Jews  reside  at  this  place.  The  Black  Jews 
have  also  a  Synagogue  here  ;  but  the  great  body  of  that 
tribe  inhabit  towns  in  the  interior  of  the  province.  I 
have  now  seen  most  of  both  classes.  My  inquiries  re- 
fened  chiefly  to  their  antiquity,  their  manuscripts,  and 
their  sentiments  concerning  the  present  state  of  their 
nation.” 

THE  JERUSALEM  OR  WHITE  JEWS. 


‘  On  my  inquiry  into  the  antiquity  of  the  White  Jews, 
they  first  delivered  to  me  a  narrative,  in  the  Hebrew 
Language,  of  their  arrival  in  India,  which  has  been 
handed  down  to  them  from  their  fathers  ;  and  then  ex¬ 
hibited  their  ancient  brass  Plate,  containing  their  char¬ 
ter  and  freedom  of  residence,  given  bv  a  King  of  Mala¬ 
bar.  I  he  following  is  the  narrative  of  the  events  refit¬ 
ting  to  their  first  arrival.” 


“  ‘  After  the  second  Temple  was  destroyed,  (which 
may  God  speedily  rebuild  1)  our  fathers,  dreading  the 
Conqueror’s  wrath,  departed  from  Jerusalem,  a  numer¬ 
ous  body  of  men,  women,  priests,  and  Levites,  and 
came  into  this  land.  There  were  among  them  men  of 
repute  for  learning  and  wisdom  ;  and  Goc!  gave  the  peo¬ 
ple  favor  in  the  sight  of  the  King  who  at  that  time 
reigneo  here,  and  he  granted  them  a  place  to  dwell  in, 
called  Cranganor.  He  allowed  them  a  patriarchal  ju- 


}36 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


risdiction  within  the  district,  with  certain  privileges  of 
nobility  ;  and  the  Royal  Grant  was  engraved,  according 
to  the  custom  of  those  days,  on  a  plate  of  brass.  This 
was  done  in  the  year  from  the  creation  of  the  world 
4250  (a.  d.  490);  and  this  plate  of  brass  we  still  have 
in  possession.  Our  forefathers  continued  at  Cranganor 
for  about  a  thousand  years,  and  the  number  of  Heads 
who  governed  were  seventy-two.  Soon  after  our  set¬ 
tlement,  other  Jews  followed  us  from  Judea  ;  and  among 
these  came  that  man  of  great  wisdom,  Rabbi  Samuel,  a 
Levite  of  Jerusalem,  with  his  son,  Rabbi  Jehuda  Levita. 
They  brought  with  them  the  silver  trumpets,  made 
use  of  at  the  time  of  the  Jubilee,  which  were  saved 
when  the  second  Temple  was  destroyed;  and  we  have 
heard  from  our  fathers,  that  there  were  engraven  upon 
those  trumpets  the  letters  of  the  ineffable  Name* 
There  joined  us  also  from  Spain ,  and  other  places, 
from  time  to  time,  certain  tribes  of  Jews,  who  had 
heard  of  our  prosperity.  But  at  last,  discord  arising 
among  ourselves,  one  of  our  Chiefs  called  to  his  assist¬ 
ance  an  Indian  King,  who  came  upon  us  with  a  great 
army,  destroyed  our  houses,  palaces,  and  strong  holds, 
dispossessed  us  of  Cranganor,  killed  part  of  us,  and 
carried  part  into  captivity.  By  these  massacres  we 
were  reduced  to  a  small  number.  Some  of  the  exiles 
came  and  dwelt  at  Cochin,  where  we  have  remained 
ever  since,  suffering  great  changes  from  time  to  time. 
There  are  amongst  us  some  of  the  children  of  Israel 
(Beni-Israel)  who  came  from  the  country  of  Ashkenaz, 
from  Egypt  ‘  from  Tsobo,  and  other  places,  besides 
those  who  formerly  inhabited  this  country.’ 

“  The  native  annals  of  Malabar  confirm  the  foregoing 
account,  in  the  principal  circumstances,  as  do  the  Ma- 
homedan  histories  of  the  later  ages  ;  for  the  Mahom- 
edans  have  been  settled  here  in  great  numbers  since 
the  eighth  century. 

*  This  circumstance  of  the  Jubilee  Trumpets  is  to  be  found  in 
a  similar  account  of  the  Jews  of  Malabar,  published  in  the  “  His¬ 
tory  of  the  Works  of  the  Learned,”  for  March  1699.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  suppose  that  these  trumpets  belonged  to  the  Tem¬ 
ple  ;  for  it  is  well  known,  that  in  every  considerable  town  in  Ju? 
«lea  there  were  Jubilee  trumpets. 


RESPECTING  THE  JEWS. 


137 


_  I  he  desolation  of  Cranganor  the  Jews  describe  as 
being  like  the  desolation  of  Jerusalem  in  miniature. 

icy  were  first  received  into  the  country  with  some 
lavor  and  confidence,  agreeably  to  the  tenor  of  the 
general  prophecy  concerning  the  Jews;  fornocountrv 

'*'aS  rejC,Ct  them  :  ai)d  after  the7  had  obtained  some 
wealth,  and  attracted  the  notice  of  men,  they  are  preci- 

P“a‘eh  t0Tt  ,e  l0WCS;  ab/SS  of  “uma"  a„Pd  re- 

]  loach.  1  he  recital  of  the  sufferings  of  the  Jews  at 

Cianganor  resembles  much  that  of  the  Jews  at  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  as  given  bv  Josephus. 

■date  nHaIqUtSted  ‘ -ey  r,,ld  she'v  brass 

plate.  Having  been  given  by  a  native  King,  it  is  writ- 

mid  knovv^n  'Vi16  fIalabaric  Ian8'uage  and  character ; 
Thr  T  °  d  thatlt  cannot  be  well  understood. 

ie  Jews  preserve  a  Hebrew  translation  of  it,  which 
they  presented  to  me  :  but  the  Hebrew  itself  is  very 
aifhcult,  and  they  do  not  agree  among  themselves  as 

theh- C.  mea"ln-S  01  SOmevvoid8-  1  have  employed,  by 
t  aeii  pe1  mission,  an  engraver  at  Cochin,  to  execute  i 

fac -simile  cf  the  original  plate,  on  copper.*  This  an- 

beglnsif  l.he  followingmanner,  accord- 
to  the  Hebrew  translation  :f 

th“  ‘  !!h!h!faC?.of  Go,d!  thc  ^ng,  which  hath  made 

AIRVI  BR  AHMt1!?  ‘°,  *S  Pl.e/Sllre'  To  ‘bis  God,  I, 
A1K\  1  LKAHMIIs,  have  lifted  up  mv  hand  m u 

have  granted  by  this  deed,  which  many  hundred  thou- 

sanci  years  shall  run -  I,  dwelling-  in  Crano-anor 

have  granted,  in  the  thirty-sixth  year  of  my  reijn  in 

of  power8!  h  ^  1  gl'an'ed>  in  «•»  strength 
HABBAN.’  glven  ln  lnhentance,  to  JOSEPH 

“  Then  follow  the  privileges  of  nobility  •  such  a- 

“rea?10  °”  el'Ph“U  to  have^hcreJd  ,oP„o 
Leioi  e,  to  announce  the  name  and  dignity  ;  to  have  th* 

S5S  0fa‘de,:'T  ;  t0,  Walk  °"  s  spreU  upon  the 
eailh  ,  and  to  have  trumpets  and  cymbals  sounded  be- 

simile  formal woVlates^These*1  bWh  sid?s  of  ,he  P'*«.  ‘be  fac. 

r.ib,,.,y  at  thl'KSv  0TfclS7  deP°S,led  >'*  Public 

M  2 


r-38 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


fore  him.  King  Airvi  then  appoints  Joseph  Rabban  to 
be  ‘  Chief  and  Governor  of  the  houses  of  congregation 
(the  Synagogues,)  and  of  certain  districts,  and  of  the 
sojourners  in  them.’  What  proves  the  importance  of 
the  Jews  at  the  period  when  this  grant  was  made,  is, 
that  it  is  signed  by  seven  Kings  as  witnesses.  ‘And  to 
this  are  witnesses,  King  Bivada  Cubertin  Mitadin,  and 
lie  is  King  of  Travancore.  King  Airla  Nada  Mana 
Vikriin,  and  he  is  the  Samorin.  King  Veloda  Nada 
Archarin  Shatin,  and  he  is  King  of  Argot.’  The  re¬ 
maining  four  Kings  are  those  of  Palgatchery ,  Colastriy 
Carbinath ,  and  Vara-changur.  There  is  no  date  in  this 
document,  further  than  what  may  be  collected  from  the 
reign  of  the  Prince,  and  the  names  of  the  royal  wit¬ 
nesses.  Dates  are  not  usual  in  old  Malabaric  writings. 
One  fact  is  evident,  that  the  Jews  must  have  existed  a 
considerable  time  in  the  country,  before  they  could 
have  obtained  such  a  grant.  The  tradition  before  men¬ 
tioned  assigns  for  the  date  of  the  transaction,  the  year 
of  the  Creation  4250,  which  is  in  Jewish  computation, 
a.  d.  490.  It  is  well  known,  that  the  famous  Malabaric 
King, Ceram  Perumal,  made  grants  to  the  Jews, Chris¬ 
tians,  and  Mahornedans,  during  his  reign  ;  but  that 
Prince  flourished  in  the  eighth  or  ninth  century. 

THE  BLACK  JEWS. 

“  It  is  only  necessary  to  look  at  the  countenance  of  the 
Black  Jews  to  be  satisfied  that  their  ancestors  must 
have  arrived  in  India  many  ages  before  the  White  Jews. 
Their  Hindoo  complexion,  and  their  very  imperfect  re¬ 
semblance  to  the  European  Jews,  indicate  that  they  have 
been  detached  from  the  parent  stock  in  Judea  many  ages 
before  the  Jews  in  the  West;  and  that  there  have  been 
intermarriages  with  families  not  Israelitish.  I  had 
heard  that  those  tribes,  which  had  passed  the  Indus, 
have  assimilated  so  much  to  the  customs  and  habits  of 
the  countries  in  which  they  live,  that  they  may  be  some¬ 
times  seen  by  a  traveller,  without  being  recognized  as 
Jews.  In  the  interior  towns  of  Malabar,  I  was  not  al¬ 
ways  able  to  distinguish  the  Jew  from  the  Hindoo.  I 
hence  perceived  how  easy  it  may  be  to  mistake  the  tribes- 


RESPECTING  TJIE  JEWS. 


1391 

of  Jewish  descent  among  the  Afghans  and  other  nations 
in  the  northern  parts  of  Hindostan.  The  White  Jews 
look  upon  the  Black  Jews  as  an  inferior  race,  and  not  of 
z.pure  cast:  which  plainly  demonstrates  that  they  do  not 
spring  from  a  common  stock  in  India. 

.  The  Black  Jews  communicated  to  me  much  inter* 
esting  intelligence  concerning  their  brethren  the  an¬ 
cient  Israelites  in  the  East ;  traditional  indeed  in  its  na¬ 
ture,  but  in  general  illustrative  of  true  history.  They 
recounted  the  names  of  many  other  small  colonies  resi¬ 
dent  in  northern  India,  Tartary,  and  China ;  and  gave 
me  a  written  list  of  sixty-five  places.  I  conversed 
with  those  who  had  lately  visited  many  of  these  stations, 
and  were  about  to  return  again.  The  Jews  have  a  nev¬ 
er-ceasing  communication  with  each  other  in  the  East. 
Their  families  indeed  are  generally  stationary,  being 
subject  to  despotic  princes;  but  the  men  move  much 
about  m  a  commercial  capacity  ;  and  the  same  individ¬ 
ual  will  pass  through  many  extensive  countries  So 
that  when  any  thing  interesting  to  the  nation  of  the 
Jews  takes  place,  the  rumor  will  pass  rapidly  throusrh- 
out  all  Asia.  b 

“  I  inquired  concerning  their  brethren,  the  Ten 
lubes.  They  said  that  it  was  commonly  believed 
among  them,  that  the  great  body  of  the  Israelites  are 
to  be  found  in  Chaldea,  and  in  the  countries  contiguous 
to  it,  being  the  very  places  whither  they  were  first  car¬ 
ried  into  captivity  ;  that  some  few  families  had  migrated 
into  regions  more  remote,  as  to  Cochin  and  Rajapoor 
m  India,  and  to  other  places  yet  farther  to  the  East 
but  that  the  bulk  of  the  nation,  though  now  much  re¬ 
duced  in  number,  had  not  to  this  day  removed  two 
thousand  miles  from  Samaria.  Among  the  Black  Jews 
1  could  not  find  many  copies  of  the  Bible.  They  in¬ 
formed  me,  that  in  certain  places  of  the  remote  disper- 
sion,  their  brethren  have  but  some  small  portions  of 
tar  Scriptures,  and  that  the  prophetical  books  were 
rare  ;  but  that  they  themselves,  from  their  vicinity  to 
the  White  Jews,  have  been  supplied,  from  lime  to  time, 
with  the  whole  of  the  Old  Testament. 

“  From  these  communications  I  plainly  perceive  the 
important  duty  which  now  devolves  on  Christians  pos- 


140 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


sessing  the  art  of  printing ,  to  send  to  the  Jews  in  the 
East,  copies  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures,  and  particular¬ 
ly  of  the  prophetical  books.  If  only  the  prophecies  of 
Isaiah  and  Daniel  were  published  among  them,  the  ef¬ 
fect  might  be  great.  They  do  not  want  the  Eav  so 
much.  But  the  prophetical  books  would  appear  among 
them  with  some  novelty,  particularly  in  a  detached 
form  ;  and  could  be  easily  circulated  through  the  re¬ 
motest  parts  of  Asia.” 

MANUSCRIPTS. 

u  Almost  in  every  house  I  find  Hebrew  books,  print¬ 
ed  or  manuscript;  particularly  among  the  White  Jews. 
Most  of  the  printed  Hebrew  of  Europe  has  found  its 
way  to  Cochin,  through  the  medium  of  the  Portuguese 
and  Dutch  commerce  of  former  times.  When  1  ques¬ 
tioned  the  Jews  concerning  the  old  copies  of  the  Scrip¬ 
tures,  which  had  been  read  in  the  Synagogues  from  age 
to  age  :  some  told  me  that  it  was  usual  to  bury  them, 
when  decayed  by  time  and  use.  Others  said  that  this 
was  not  always  the  case.  I  despaired  at  first  of  being- 
able  to  procure  any  of  the  old  biblical  writings  ;  but  af¬ 
ter  I  had  been  in  the  country  about  six  weeks,  and 
they  found  that  1  did  not  expect  to  obtain  them  merely 
as  presents,  some  copies  were  recovered.  The  White 
Jews  had  only  the  Bible  written  on  parchment,  and  of 
modern  appearance,  in  their  Synagogue  ;  but  I  was  in¬ 
formed  that  the  Black  Jews  possessed  formerly  copies 
written  on  Goat  Skins ;  and  that  in  the  Synagogue  of 
the  Black  Jews  there  was  an  old  Record  Chest,  into 
which  the  decayed  copies  of  their  Scriptures  had  been 
thrown.  I  accordingly  went  to  the  Synagogue  with 
a  few  of  the  chief  men,  and  examined  the  contents, 
which  some  of  them  said  they  had  never  looked  at 
before,  and  did  not  seem  greatly  to  value.  The  manu¬ 
scripts  were  of  various  kinds,  on  parchment,  goat-skins, 
and  cotton  paper.  I  negociated  for  them  hastily,  and 
wrapped  them  up  in  two  cloths,  and  gave  them  to  the 
Jews  to  carry  home  to  my  house.  I  had  observed  some 
murmuring  among  the  bye-standers  in  the  Synagogue, 
while  I  was  examining  the  chest ;  and  before  we  ap- 


respecting  the  jews. 


14! 


peared  in  the  streets,  the  alarm  had  gone  forth,  that 
the  Christians  were  robbing  the  Synagogue  of  the  Law. 
ihere  were  evident  symptoms  of  tumult,  and  the  wo- 
men  and  children  collected  and  were  following*  us.  I 
requested  some  of  the  more  respectable  Jews  to  accom¬ 
pany  me  out  of  the  town  ;  but  I  had  scarcely  arrived 
at  ray  own  house  at  Cochin,  when  the  persons  who  had 
permitted  me  to  take  the  manuscripts,  came  in  evident 
agitation,  and  told  me  I  must  restore  them  immediately 
to  calm  the  popular  rage.  Others  had  gone  to  com- 
p.am  to  the  Chief  Magistrate,  Thomas  Flower,  Esq. 
And  now  I  had  lost  my  spoil,  but  for  the  friendly 
counsel  and  judicious  conduct  of  Mr.  Flower.  Fie  di¬ 
rected  that  all  the  manuscripts  should  be  delivered  up 
to  b(m’ and  that  .there  should  be  no  further  proceedings 
on  the  subject  without  his  authority.  To  this  the  Jews 
agreed.  There  was  some  plea  of  justice  on  my  side, 
a:  \\  was  understood  that  I  had  given  a  valuable  consid¬ 
eration.  In  the  mean  time  he  allowed  a  few  days  to 
pass,  that  the  minds  of  the  people  might  become  tran¬ 
quil,  and  he  then  summoned  some  of  the  more  liberal 
men,  and  gave  them  a  hearing  on  the  subject.  In  the 
mean  time  I  thought  it  prudent  to  retire  from  Cochin. 

m!ie,  7  ?  ?  “"f  "’e,U  ‘,°  Oanganor,  about  sixteen 
miles  off,  to  Colonel  Macaulay,  the  British  Resident  at 
I  ravancore,  who  was  then  at  the  house  at  Mr  Drum- 

Siin  VtheFC.0lIeCt°rr0f  Ma,labar‘  0l1  my  return  to  Co- 
™  ,  ;F  0Wer  ln[ormed  me  that  all  the  manuscripts* 
*°  oe  returned  to  my  house ;  that  I  was  to  select 
w?  ™  °ld’  and  of  llttie  use  to  the  Jews,  and  to  give 
back  to  them  what  was  new.  The  affair  ended  however 

pa«  o/theX™"*8  me  Benetously  to  retain  some 

Bllrl  S1.nce.  ma.de  a.tour  through  the  towns  of  the 
Je'v,s  m  the  Ulterior  of  the  country,  Tritoor , 
Par-oor,  Chenotta ,  and  Mulch,  I  have  procured  a  good 

lomT  Tn  rCliptu  Thiefly  in  the  Rabbimcal  character, 
r  tVhlCh  ,he  JeWS  themselves  cannot  read;  and 
L  °  not  kn.ow  what  to  say  to  their  traditions.  A  copy 

miHw  hpCnptUreS,bel?nS,ngt0  Jews  of  the  East»  who 
Jews  of  th.Pw 1°  lVe  ha,d  no  c°mmunication  with 
v  of  the  West,  has  been  long  considered  a  desidU 


142 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


eratum  in  Europe  ;  for  the  Western  Jews  have  been  ac¬ 
cused  by  some  learned  men  of  altering  or  omitting 
certain  words  in  the  Hebrew  Text,  to  invalidate  the 
argument  of  Christians.  But  Jews  in  the  East,  remote 
from  the  controversy,  would  have  no  motive  for  such 
corruptions.  One  or  two  of  the  MSS.  which  I  have 
just  procured,  will  probably  be  of  some  service  in  this 
respect.  One  of  them  is  an  old  copy  of  the  Books  of 
Moses,  written  on'  a  roll  of  leather.  The  skins  are 
sewed  together,  and  the  roll  is  about  forty -eight  feet  in 
length.  It  is,  in  some  places,  worn  out,  and  the  holes 
have  been  sewed  up  with  pieces  of  parchment.  Some 
of  the  Jews  suppose  that  this  roll  came  originally  from 
Senna  in  Arabia  ;  others  have  heard  that  it  was  brought 
from  Cashmir.  The  Cabul  Jews,  who  travel  into  the 
interior  of  China,  say  that  in  some  Synagogues  the  Law 
is  still  written  on  a  roll  of  leather,  made  of  Goats’  Skins 
dyed  red  ;  not  on  vellum,  but  on  a  soft  flexible  leather  ; 
which  agrees  with  the  description  of  the  roll  above 
mentioned.* 

“  Ever  since  I  came  among  these  people,  and  heard 
their  sentiments  on  the  prophecies,  and  their  confident 
hopes  of  returning  to  Jerusalem ,  I  have  thought  much 
on  the  means  of  obtaining  a  version  of  the  New-Tes- 
tament  in  the  Hebrew  Language,  and  circulating  it 
among  them  and  their  brethren  in  the  East.  I  had 
heard  that  there  were  one  or  two  translations  of  the 
Testament  in  their  own  possession,  but  they  were 
studiously  kept  out  of  my  sight,  for  a  considerable 
time.  At  last  however  they  were  produced  by  indi¬ 
viduals  in  a  private  manner.  One  of  them  is  written 
in  the  small  Rabbinical  or  Jerusalem  character  ;  the 
other  in  a  large  square  letter.  The  history  of  the 

Mr.  Yeates,  formerly  of  Ail  Souls  College,  Oxford,  and  editor 
of  the  Hebrew  Grammar,  has  been  employed  for  the  last  two  years 
at  Cambridge,  in  arranging  and  collating  the  Hebrew  and  Syriac 
MSS.  brought  from  India.  His  collation  of  the  Roll  of  the  Pen¬ 
tateuch  above  mentioned,  is  now  finished,  and  will  form  a  volume 
in  quarto.  The  University  has,  with  great  liberality,  resolved  that 
this  bool;  shall  be  printed  at  the  expense  of  the  University,  for  the 
benefit  of  Mr.  Yeat.es;  and  Dr.  Marsh,  the  learned  Editor  of  the 
Michaelis,  has  written  a  Note  on  the  antiquity  and  importance  of 
fcfce  manuscript,  which  will  form  a  Preface  to  the  work. 


RESPECTING  THE  JEWS. 


143 


former  is  very  interesting.  The  translator,  a  learned 
Rabbi,  conceived  the  design  of  making  an  accurate 
version  of  the  New  Testament,  for  the  express  pur¬ 
pose  of  confuting  it.  .  His  style  is  copious  and  elegant, 
like  that  of  a  master  in  the  language,  and  the  translation 
is  in  general  faithful.  It  does  not  indeed  appear  that 
he  wished  to  pervert  the  meaning  of  a  single  sentence  j 
but  depending  on  his  own  abilities  and  renown  as  a 
scholar,  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  controvert  its  doc¬ 
trines,  and  to  triumph  over  it  by  fair  contest  in  the 
piesence  of  the  world.  There  is  yet  a  mystery  about 
the  circumstances  of  this  man’s  death,  which  time  will 
perhaps  unfold  :  the  Jews  are  not  inclined  to  say  much 
to  me  about  him.  His  version  is  complete,  and  writ¬ 
ten  with  greater  freedom  and  ease  towards  the  end 
than  at  the  beginning.  How  astonishing  it  is  that  an 
enemy  should  have  done  this  !  that  he  should  have  per¬ 
severed  resolutely  and  calmly  to  the  end  of  his  work  ! 
not  indeed  always  calmly  :  for  there  is  sometimes  a 
note  of  execration  on  the  Sacred  Person  who  is  the 
subject  of  it,  to  unburden  his  mind  and  ease  the  con- 
flmt  of  his  laboring  soul.  At  the  close  of  the  Gospels, 
as  it  afraid  of  the  converting  power  of  his  own  transla¬ 
tion,  “  he  calls  Heaven  to  witness  that  he  had  under¬ 
taken  the  work  with  the  professed  design  of  opposing 
the  Epicureans  by  which  term  he  contemptuously- 
means  the  Christians. 

“I  have  had  many  interesting  conferences  with  the 
Jews,  on  the  subject  of  their  present  state  ;  and  have 
been  much  struck  with  two  circumstances  ;  their  con¬ 
stant  reference  to  the  DESOLATION  of  Jerusalem, 
^  ™lr  confident  hope  that  it  will  be  one  day  RE- 
RU1LT.  The  desolation  of  the  Holy  City  is  ever 
piesent  to  the  minds  of  the  Jews,  when  the  subject  is 
concerning  themselves  as  a  Nation;  for,  though  with¬ 
out  a  king  and  without  a  country,  they  constantly  speak 
01  the  unity  of  their  nation.  Distance  of  time  and 
place  seems  to  have  no  effect  in  obliterating  the  re¬ 
membrance  ot  the  Desolation.  I  often  thought  of  the 
verse  in  the  Psalms,  “  If  I  forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem, 
Lt  my  right  hand  forget  her  cunning.”  They  speak 

I  ale stine  as  being  close  at  hand,  and  easily  accessi- 


144 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


ble.  It  is  become  an  ordinance  of  their  Rabbins  hi 
some  places,  that  when  a  man  builds  a  new  house,  he 
shall  leave  a  small  part  of  it  unfinished,  as  an  emblem 
of  ruin,  and  write  on  it  these  words,  Zecher  Lachor- 
chan ,  i.  e.  in  MEMORY  of  the  DESOLATION. 

“  Their  hopes  of  rebuilding  the  walls  of  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  the  third  and  last  time,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Messiah,  or  of  a  second  Cyrus,  before  his  com¬ 
ing',  are  always  expressed  with  great  confidence.  They 
have  a  general  impression,  that  the  period  of  their 
liberation  from  the  Heathen  is  not  very  remote;  and 
they  consider  the  present  commotions  in  the  earth  as 
gradually  loosening  their  bonds.  “  It  is,”  say  they, 
u  a  sure  sign  of  our  approaching  restoration,  that  in 
almost  all  countries  there  is  a  general  relaxation 
of  the  persecution  against  us.”  I  pressed  strongly 
upon  them  the  prophecies  of  Daniel.  In  former  times 
that  Prophet  was  not  in  repute  among  the  Jews,  be¬ 
cause  he  predicted  the  coming  of  the  Messiah  at  the 
end  of  “  the  seventy  weeks;”  and  his  book  has  been 
actually  removed  from  the  list  of  prophetic  writings, 
and  remains  to  this  day,  among  the  Hagiograftha ,  such 
as  Job,  the  Psalms,  the  Proverbs,  Ruth  ;  but  he  now 
begins  to  be  popular  among  those  who  have  studied 
him,  because  he  has  predicted  that  the  final  “  accom¬ 
plishment  of  the  indignation  against  the  holy  people” 
is  near  at  hand.  The  strongest  argument  to  press  up¬ 
on  the  mind  of  a  Jew,  at  this  period,  is  to  explain  to 
his  conviction  Daniel’s  period  of  1260  years  ;  and  then 
to  shew  the  analogy  which  it  bears  to  the  period  of 
the  Evangelist  John,  concerning  the  Papal  and  Ma- 
homedan  powers;  with  the  state  of  which  the  Jews  are 
well  acquainted. 

“I  passed  through  the  burial-ground  of  the  Jews 
the  other  day.  Some  of  the  tombs  are  handsomely 
constructed,  and  have  Hebrew  inscriptions  in  prose 
and  verse.  This  mansion  of  the  dead  is  called  by  the 
Jews  Beth  Haiim ,  or  “The  House  of  the  Li  ving.” 

“Being  much  gratified  with  my  visit  to  the  Jews  of 
Malabar,  and  desirous  to  maintain  some  communica¬ 
tion  with  them,  I  have  engaged  a  very  respectable 
member  of  their  community  to  accompany  me  with  his 


RESPECTING  THE  JEWS.  145 

servant  to  Bengal,  and  to  remain  with  me  in  the  ca- 
paeity  01  Hebrew  Moonshie,  or  teacher,  until  my  return 

wnfg  r!'d‘  .°bsemnS  tha(-  in  the  houses7  of  the 
White  jews  there  are  many  volumes  of  printed  He- 

brcw,  mostly  of  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries 
which  are  rarely  met  with  in  England,  I  have  employed 

]JrTahl\  liat,  !S  the  name  of  Moonshee,  to  col- 
lect  some  oi  the  most  valuable.” 

At  the  beginning  of  the  following  year  fl808^  th#. 
Author  visited  Cochin  a  second  U®ef“d  procVeded 
afterwards  to  Bombay,  where  he  had  an  opportunity 

Uh^aHon®  Thh  SOtm,i  lery  “‘''“sent  men  of 'the  lev- 
hP  rl  i'  i1Cy  had  heard  of  his  conferences  with 
the  Cochin  Jews,  and  were  desirous  to  discuss  cer 

tain  topics,  particularly  the  prophecies  of  Isaiah  •  and 
they  engaged  in  them  with  far  more  spirit  and  franK 
ness,  he  thought,  than  their  brethren  at  fVnk'  i 

rr  ?  ~>rb«rr^r.f  'rjri oi 

th“  Trpp,oved  * 

histtr  'rr  kn°':ied8e  °f  ‘he  Jewish  Scrip, ureter 
told,  that  ^small°portKmsV^if  'g?1ba.  kad  often 

t  r„  “d^  Ts 

for  these  are  mere  exceed "  Conversions \nCh°  S 
tiamty  in  the  early  ages  would  equX  St  Chns- 
the  prediction,  taken  in  an  absolve  sen™ 


N 


146 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


THE  TEN  TRIBES. 

The  Tribes  of  Israel  are  no  longer  to  be  inquired  after 
by  name.  The  purpose,  for  which  they  were  once 
divided  into  tribes,  was  accomplished  when  the 
genealogy  of  the  Messiah  was  traced  to  the  stem  of 
David.  Neither  do  the  Israelites  themselves  know 
certainly  from  what  families  they  are  descended.  And 
this  is  a  chief  argument  against  the  Jews,  to  which  the 
Author  never  heard  that  a  Jew  could  make  a  sensible 
reply.  The  tribe  of  Judah  was  selected  as  that  from 
which  the  Messiah  should  come  ;  and  behold,  the 
Jews  do  not  know  which  of  them  are  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah. 

While  the  Author  was  amongst  the  Jews  of  Mala¬ 
bar,  he  made  frequent  inquiries  concerning  the  Ten 
Tribes.  When  he  mentioned  that  it  was  the  opinion 
of  some,  that  they  had  migrated  from  the  Chaldean 
provinces,  he  was  asked  to  what  country  we  -supposed 
they  had  gone,  and  whether  we  had  ever  heard  of 
their  moving  in  a  great  army  on  such  an  expedition. 
It  will  be  easy  perhaps  to  shew,  that  the  great  body  of 
the  Ten  Tribes  remain  to  this  day  in  the  countries  to 
which  they  were  first  carried  captive.  If  we  can  dis¬ 
cover  where  they  were  in  the  first  century  of  the 
Christian  Era,  which  was  seven  hundred  years  after 
the  carrying  away  to  Babylon,  and  again  where  they 
were  in  the  fifth  century,  we  certainly  may  be  able  to 
trace  them  up  to  this  time. 

Josephus,  who  wrote  in  the  reign  of  Vespasian, 
recites  a  speech  made  by  King  Agrippa  to  the  Jews, 
wherein  he  exhorts  them  to  submit  to  the  Romans, 
and  expostulates  with  them  in  these  words :  “  What, 
do  you  stretch  your  hopes  beyond  the  river  Euphra¬ 
tes  ?  Do  any  of  you  think  that  your  fellow-tribes 
will  come  to  your  aid  out  of  Adiabene  ?  Besides,  if 
they  would  come,  the  Parthian  will  not  permit  it.” 
( Jos.  de  Bell ,  Lib.  ii.  c.  28.)  We  learn  from  this 
oration,  delivered  to  the  Jews  themselves,  and  by  a 
King  of  the  Jews,  that  the  Ten  Tribes  were  then  cap¬ 
tive  in  Media  under  the  Persian  Princes. 


RESPECTING  THE  JEWS. 


14  7 


In  the  fifth  century,  Jerome,  author  of  the  Vulgate, 
ti  eating  of  the  dispersed  Jews  in  his  Notes  upon 
Hose  a,  has  these  words  :  “  Unto  this  day,  the  Ten 
Tubes  are  subject  to  the  Kings  of  the  Persians,  nor 
has  their  captivity  ever  been  loosed.  (Tom.  VI.  p.  7.) 
And  again  lie  says,  “  The  Ten  Tribes  inhabit  at  this 
day  the  cities  and  mountains  of  the  Medes.”  Tom. 
VI.  p.  80. 


There  is  no  room  left  for  doubt  on  this  subject. 
Have  we  heard  of  any  expeditioivof  the  Jews  “going 
forth  from  that  country,  since  that  period,  like  the 
Cotlis  and  Huns,  to  conquer  nations?”  Have  we  ever 
heard  of  their  rising  in  insurrection  to  burst  the  bands 
of  their  captivity?  To  this  day,  both  Jews  and 
Christians  are  generally  in  a  state  of  captivity  in  these 
despotic  countries.  No  family  dares  to  leave  the 
kingdom  without  permission  of  the  King.* 

Mahomedanism  reduced  the  number  of  the  Jews 
exceedingly  :  It  was  presented  to  them  at  the  point 
ot  the  sword.  We  know  that  multitudes  of  Chris- 
turns  received  it;  for  example,  “  the  seven  Churches 
ot  Asia;  and  we  may  believe,  that  an  equal  propor¬ 
tion  o.  Jews  were  proselyted  by  the  same  means.  In 
the  provinces  of  Cashmire  and  Afghanistan,  some  of 
the  Jews  submitted  to  great  sacrifices,  and  they  remain 
Jews  to  this  day  :  but  the  greater  number  yielded,  in 
the  course  of  ages,  to  the  power  of  the  reigning  reli¬ 
gion.  _  1  heir  countenance,  their  language,  their  names, 
tnen  utes  and  observances,  and  their  history,  all  con¬ 
spire  to  establish  the  fact.f  We  may  judge,  in  some 
degree,  of  the  number  of  those'  who  would  yield  to 

?eieSrVf^h0med’  and  COnfora5>  “  appearance 
at  least,  to  what  was  called  a  sister  Religion,  from 

the  number  of  those  who  conformed  to  the  Christian 

f  r,’/‘p!cr  ‘h?  of  >he  Inquisition 

- 1  Jill  anil  1  ortugal.  Orobio,  who  was  himself  a 

*  Joseph  Emin,  a  Christian  well  known  in  Calcutta  wished  in 
bring  h,s  family  from  Ispahan  ;  but  he  could  no?  eS  houHi 
our  Government  interested  itself  in  his  behalf  tiiougli 

pcitel  among  a.  nation  of  Jews.  See  Forster’s  Travels.  * 


148 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


Jew,  states  in  his  History,  that  there  were  upwards  of 
twenty  thousand  Jews  in  Spain  alone,  who,  from  fear 
of  the  Inquisition,  professed  Christianity,  some  of 
whom  were  Priests  and  Bishops.  The  tribes  of  the 
Affghan  race  are  very  numerous,  and  of  different 
casts ;  and  it  is  probable,  that  the  proportion  which  is 
of  Jewish  descent  is  not  great.  The  Aff'ghan  nations 
extend  on  both  sides  of  the  Indus,  and  inhabit  the 
mountainous  region,  commencing  in  Western  Persia. 
They  differ  in  language,  customs,  religion,  and  coun¬ 
tenance,  and  have  little  knowledge  of  each  other.  Some 
tribes  have  the  countenance  of  the  Persian,  and  some  of 
the  Hindoo;  and  some  tribes  are  evidently  of  Jewish 
extraction. 

Calculating  then  the  number  of  Jews,  who  now 
inhabit  the  provinces  of  ancient  Chaldea,  or  the  con¬ 
tiguous  countries,  and  who  still  profess  Judaism  ;  and 
the  number  of  those  who  embraced  Mahomedanism, 
or  some  form  of  it  in  the  same  regions  ;  we  may  be  sat¬ 
isfied,  u  That  the  greater  part  of  the  Ten  Tribes,  which 
now  exist ,  are  to  be  found  in  the  countries  of  their  first 
captivity.” 

RESTORATION  OF  THE  JEWS. 

That  many  of  the  Jews,  w  hen  liberated  from  their 
state  of  oppression,  will  return  to  Judea,  appears  prob¬ 
able  from  the  general  tenor  of  prophecy,  and  from 
their  own  natural  and  unconquerable  attachment  to 
that  country:  but  wre  know  not  for  what  purpose  they 
should  all  return  thither;  and  it  is  perfectly  unneces¬ 
sary  to  contend  for  the  fact,  or  to  impose  it  as  a  te¬ 
net  of  faith.  We  perceive  no  reason  why  they  should 
leave  the  nations  in  which  they  live,  when  these  na¬ 
tions  are  no  longer  heathen.  Nor  is  it  possible,  in  nu¬ 
merous  cases,  to  ascertain  who  are  Jews  and  who  are 
not.  It  is  also  true,  that  before  Judea  could  nourish 
the  whole  body  of  Jews,  even  in  their  present  reduced 
state,  the  ancient  fertility,  which  was  taken  away 
according  to  prophecy  (Deut.  xxviii,  23,  and  38,) 
must  be  restored  by  miracle.  But  we  have  no  war¬ 
rant  to  look  for  a  miracle  under  the  finished  dispense- 


RESPECTING  the  jews. 


149 


tion  of  the  Gospel.  We  possess  “  the  more  sure  word 
o  piophecy,  (2  Pet.  i,  19,)  and  look  not  for  signs 
and  wonders.  _  We  expect  no  miracle  for  the  Jews, 
but  that  of  their  conversion  to  Christianity  ;  which  will 
be  a  greater  miracle,  than  if  the  first  Temple  were 
to  rise  in  its  gold  and  costly  stones,  and  Solomon  were 
again  to  reign  over  them  in  all  his  glory. 

Much  caution  is  also  required  in  stating  to  them 
our  opinions  concerning  a  Millennium,  or  period  of 
universal  truth  and  felicity.  It  was  prophesied  to 
lsrad,  aoout  seven  hundred  years  before  the  coming 
°*  tlie  Messiah,  that  a  time  should  be,  «  when  nation 
should  no  longer  lift  the  sword  against  nation,  neither 
saould  men  learn  war  any  more  when  “  the  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  Lord,  which  was  then  confined  to  Judea, 
snoulu  cover  the  earth  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea;” 
arm  w  nen  “  they  should  not  teach  every  man  his  neigh- 
b°r,  saying,  Know  the  Lord,  for  all  should  know  him 
from  t0  the  greatest.”  These  prophecies 

were  fulfilled  generally  when  the  Messiah  appeared. 

1  he  Gospel  of  Peace  was  preached  to  men,  and  “  the 
sound  thereoi  went  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.”  The  last 
prediction,  which  is  the  clearest  and  strongest  of  all. 

^  Ley  s.iall  not  teach  every  man  his  neighbor,  saying. 
Know  the  Lord,  lor  all  shall  know  him,  from  the  least 
to  tne  greatest,”  is  expressly  quoted  by  the  apostle  Paul 
ftieb.  vui,  1  1,)  as  haying  been  already  fulfilled  by  the 
manifestation  of  Christ,  who  abrogated  the  old  covenant 
wiln  Israel,  which  was  confined  to  few,  and  made  a 
new  covenant  with  the  world,  which  was  extended  to. 

ALL. 

It  is  believed,  however,  that  the  predictions  above- 
recited  will  receive  a  more  particular  accomplishment 

rhmafJert  tJ’at  the  SloiT  even  of  the  primitive 
Chinch  shad  be  far  surpassed.  But  it  does  not  appear, 

tnat  the  conversion  of  men  at  any  future  period  will  be 
universal.  It  is  evident  indeed,  from  the  sure  word 
of  prophecy,  that  there  will  he  a  long  time  of  general 
holiness  and  peace,  which  will  succeed  to  the  present 
reign  of  vice  and  misery,  probably  “  a  thousand  years  •” 
during  which,  righteousness  will  be  as  common  as 
wickedness  is  now  ;  and  further,  that  this  period  is 


N. 


ISO 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


at  hand ,  even  at  the  door.*  But  I  see  no  ground  for 
believing  that  such  righteousness  will  be  universal,  or 
that  this  life  will  ever  be  other  than  a  state  of  proba¬ 
tion  and  trial  to  qualify  for  “  meetness  for  the  heaven¬ 
ly  kingdom.”  Our  Saviour  sets  forth,  in  different  pla¬ 
ces,  the  character  of  his  Church,  to  the  end  of  time, 
and  that  character  is  always  the  same.  The  Gospel 
he  compares  to  “  seed  sown  by  the  sower,  some  on 
good  and  some  on  bad  ground.”  Those  who  hear 
this  Gospel  he  compares  to  men  building  on  the  rock , 
or  on  the  sand  ;  travelling  in  the  broad ,  or  in  the  nar¬ 
row  way;  and  to  wheat  and  tares  growing  in  the  same 
field.  “  The  field  is  the  world,”  saith  our  Lord  ;  “  the 
good  seed  are  the  children  of  the  kingdom  :  the  tares 
are  the  children  of  the  wicked  one  :  the  enemy  that 
sowed  them  is  the  devil :  the  harvest  is  the  end  of  the 
world ;  and  the  reapers  are  the  angels,”  Matt,  xiii,  39. 
This  we  believe  to  be  a  picture  of  the  visible  Church  to 
the  end  of  time. 

In  regard  to  the  progress,  conflict,  and  final  extent  of 
the  Gospel,  our  Saviour  notices  all  these  circumstances 
generally  in  his  last  discourse  to  his  disciples.  In  the 
twenty-fourth  chapter  of  St.  Matthew,  he  gives  an  epi¬ 
tome  of  his  more  detailed  prophecy  in  the  Book  of  Rev¬ 
elation.  He  foretels  that  there  shall  be  “  wars  and  ru¬ 
mors  of  wars,  persecutions,  famines,  pestilences,  earth¬ 
quakes,  false  prophets  and  apostasies ;”  and  then  he 
adds,  “  And  this  Gospel  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  preach¬ 
ed  in  all  the  world  for  a  witness  unto  all  nations :  and 
then  shall  the  end  come.” 

To  suppose  that  there  will  be  a  period  when  the 
Church  on  earth  shall  be  no  longer  militant,  is  to  sup¬ 
pose  that  a  time  will  come  when  the  Christian  may 
die  without  being  able  to  say,  u  I  have  fought  a  good 
fight ;”  when  there  will  be  little  inward  corruption, 
and  little  outward  opposition ;  little  vestige  of  the  old 
Adam,  in  the  new  race,  and  little  use  for  the  old 
Bible,  in  the  new  state  of  things.  Let  us  interpret 
Scripture  soberly.  When  the  Millennium  arrives, 
knowledge  and  holiness  will  be  general ;  but  not  uni- 


*  See  Scott’s  Bible,  Rey.  xx,  4. 


RESPECTING  THE  JEWS. 


151 


versal.  Perfection  is  to  be  attained  not  in  this  world, 
but  in  heaven. 

On  the  Author’s  return  to  England,  he  found  that 
a  Society  had  been  instituted  for  the  Conversion  of 
the  Jews  ;  and  he  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  hear 
that  some  Christians  had  opposed  its  institution.  He 
was  less  surprised  at  this,  however,  when  he  was  in¬ 
formed  that  objections  had  been  brought  against  the 
Society  for  the  circulation  of  the  Bible.  It  is  possible 
to  urge  political  arguments  against  Christianity  itself. 
Such  a  spirit  as  this  does  not  seem  entitled  to  much 
courtesy;  for  it  springs  directly  from  this  assumption, 
That  the  Bible  is  not  from  God,  or.  That  there  is 
something  greater  than  truth. 

The  grand  object,  which  now  engages  the  attention 
of  the  Jewish  Institution,  is  a  translation  of  the  New 
.Testament  into  the  Hebrew  Language.  To  assist 
them  in  this  important  work,  a  copy  of  the  Manuscript 
found  in  Malabar,  now  commonly  called  the  Travan- 
core  Testament ,  has  been  presented  to  them.*  The 
volume  has  been  fairly  transcribed  by  Mr.  Yeates,  of 
Cambridge,  in  the  square  Hebrew  character,  and  forms 
three  volumes,  quarto.  The  question  now  under  con¬ 
sideration  by  the  Society  is,  whether  it  shall  be  receiv¬ 
ed  as  the  basis  for  the  general  translation.  The  first 
sheet  of  the  intended  version  has  already  been  printed 
off,  for  the  purpose  of  being  submitted  as  a  specimen 
to  the  best  Hebrew  scholars  in  the  kingdom,  both  Jews 
and  Christians ;  in  order  that  it  may  go  forth  in  as  per¬ 
fect  a  form  as  may  be.  So  that  it  is  possible,  that  be¬ 
fore  the  end  of  the  present  year,  the  Four  Gospels  will 
be  published,  and  copies  sent  to  the  Jews  in  the  East,  as 
the  first-fruits  of  the  Jewish  Institution.  It  is  very 
remarkable,  that  this  should  be  the  very  year  which 
was  calculated  long  ago,  by  a  learned  man,  as  that  in 
which  uthe  times  ol  happiness  to  Israel”  should  begin. 
In  the  year  1677,  Mr.  Samuel  Lee,  a  scholar  of  enlarg¬ 
ed  views,  who  had  studied  the  prophetical  writings  with 
great  attention,  published  a  small  volume,  entitled, 
Israel  Redux,  or  The  Restauration  of  Israel.”  He 

*  See  “  Malabar  Bible,”  in  this  work. 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


calculates  the  event  from  the  prophecies  of  Daniel  and 
of  St.  John,  and  commences  the  great  period  of  1260 
years,  not  from  a.  d.  608,  which  we  think  correct,  but 
from  a.  d.  476,  which  brings  it  to  1736.  He  then  adds, 
“  After  the  great  conflicts  with  the  Papal  powers  in  the 
West,  will  begin  the  stirs  and  commotions  about  the 
Jews  and  Israel  in  the  East.  If  then  to  1736  we  add  30 
more,  they  reach  to  1766;  but  the  times  of  perplexity 
are  determined  (by  Daniel)  to  last  45  years  longer.  If 
then  we  conjoin  those  45  years  more  to  1766,  it  produ¬ 
ces  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eleven,  for  those 
times  of  happiness  to  Israel.”* 

VERSIONS  OF  THE  SCRIPTURES  FOR 
THE  JEWS, 

IN  THE  ORIENTAL  LANGUAGES. 

Since  writing  the  above,  the  Author  has  received 
the  following  communication  from  the  Rev.  David 
Brown,  dated  Calcutta,  March  15,  1810: 

“  Dr.  Leyden,  of  the  College  of  Fort-William,  in  a 
letter  communicated  to  me  yesterday,  has  offered  to 
conduct  Translations  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  following 
Languages ;  viz. 

1.  Affghan,  5.  Btjgis, 

2.  Cashmirian,  6.  Macassar, 

3.  Jaghatai,  and 

4.  Siamese,  7.  Maldivian. 

u  The  Jaghatai  is  the  original  Turcoman  Language, 
as  spoken  in  the  central  districts  of  Asia.  The  Bugis 
is  the  language  of  the  Celebes.  The  Macassar  is 
spoken  at  Macassar,  in  the  Celebes,  and  in  the  great 
island  of  Borneo. 

“  Dr.  Leyden  is  assisted,  as  you  know,  by  learned 
natives  in  the  compilation  of  Grammars  and  Vocabula¬ 
ries  in  the  above  languages,  and  entertains  no  doubt 

*  See  “  Israel  Eedux,”  page  122,  printed  in  Cornhill,  Lcndoa, 
1677. 


RESPECTING  THE  JEWS. 


155 


that  he  shall  be  able  to  effect  correct  versions  of  the 
Scriptures  in  them  all.” 

Thus,  sooner  than  could  have  been  expected,  are 
we  likely  to  have  the  Bible  translated  into  the  lan¬ 
guage  of  the  Celebes.  But  who  can  estimate  the 
importance  of  a  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  the 
languages*  of  Affghana  and  Cashmire,  those  Jewish 
regions  1 

The  Jaghatai  or  Zagathia ,  is  the  language  of  Great 
Bucharia,  which  was  called  Zagathia,  from  a  son  of 
Zenghis  Khan.  It  is  an  auspicious  circumstance  for 
Dr.  Leyden’s  translation  of  the  Jaghatai,  that  Prince 
Zagathia  himself  embraced  Christianity,  and  made  a 
public  profession  of  the  Gospel  in  his  capital  of  Sa¬ 
markand.*  There  were  at  that  period  above  a  hun¬ 
dred  Christian  Churches  in  the  province  ;  and  some  of 
them  remain  to  this  day.  We  are  also  informed,  both 
by  the  Nestorian  and  Romish  writers,  that  there  was 
a  version  of  the  New  Testament  and  Psalms  in  a  Tar¬ 
tar  Language.  Dr.  Leyden  will  soon  discover  wheth¬ 
er  this  was  the  Jaghatai.  That  language  is  spoken  in 
Bochara,  Balk,  and  Samarchand,  and  in  other  cities  of 
Usbeck,  and  Independent  Tartary.  This  is  the  coun¬ 
try  which  Dr.  Giles  Fletcher,  who  was  Envoy  of  Queen 
Elizabeth  at  the  Court  of  the  Czar  of  Muscovy,  has 
assigned  as  the  principal  residence  of  the  descendants 
of  the  Ten  Tribes.  He  argues  from  their  place ,  from 
the  name  ot  their  cities,  from  their  language ,  which 
contains  Hebrew  and  Chaldaic  words,  and  from  their 
peculiar  rites,  which  are  Jewish.  Their  principal  city 
Samarchand  is  pronounced  Saj)iarchian,  which  Dr. 
Fletcher  thinks  might  be  a  name  given  by  the  Israelites 
after  their  own  Samaria  in  Palestine.  (See  Israel 
Redux,  p.  12.)  Benjamin  of  Tudela,  who  travelled 
into  this  country,  in  the  twelfth  century,  and  after¬ 
wards  published  his  Itinerary,  says,  “  In  Samarchand, 
the  city  of  Tamerlane,  there  are  50,000  Jews  under 
the  presidency  of  Rabbi  Obadiah  :  and  in  the  moun¬ 
tains  and  cities  of  Nisbor,  there  are  four  tribes  of  Israel 

*  See  Moshkm’s  Ecel,  Tartar  History,  p.  40. 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES. 


154 

resident,  viz.  Dan,  Zabulon,  Asher,  and  Naphtali.”* 
It  is  remarkable  that  the  people  of  Zagathai  should  be 
constantly  called  Ephtalites  and  JYe/ihtalites  by  the 
Byzantine  writers,  who  alone  had  any  information 
concerning  them.f  The  fact  seems  to  be,  that,  if  from 
Babylon  as  a  centre,  you  describe  a  segment  of  a  cir¬ 
cle,  from  the  northern  shore  of  the  Caspian  Sea  to  the 
heads  of  the  Indus,  you  will  enclose  the  territories 
containing  the  chief  body  of  the  dispersed  tribes  of  Is¬ 
rael. 

This  design  of  Dr.  Leyden  to  superintend  the  trans¬ 
lation  of  the  Scriptures  in  seven  new  languages  marks 
the  liberal  views  and  the  enterprising  and  ardent  mind 
of  that  scholar,  and  will  be  hailed  by  the  friends  of 
Christianity  in  Europe  as  a  noble  undertaking,  deserv¬ 
ing  their  utmost  eulogy  and  patronage.  It  will  give 
pleasure  to  ail  those  who  have  hitherto  taken  any  inter¬ 
est  in  u  the  restoration  of  learning  in  the  East,”  to 
see  that  the  College  of  Fort-William  is  producing  such 
excellent  fruit.  May  its  fame  be  perpetual  !| 

*  See  Benjam  ini  Itinerarium,  p  S 7. 

f  Theophanes,  p.  79. 

t  There  are  now  several  Orientalists,  members  of  the  Asiatic 
Society,  who  have  been  engaged  in  translating  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
We  hope  hereafter  to  see  the  name  of  Mr  Colebrooke  added  to 
the  number.  Mr.  C.  is  the  Father  of  Shanscrit  Literature,  and  has 
lately  published  an  Essay  on  the  Shanscrit  Poetry  and  .Metres. 
How  much  gratified  should  we  be  to  see  a  version  of  the  Penta¬ 
teuch  from  Ins  pen  !  or  at  least  a  Critique  on  the  New  Testament, 
which  has  been  already  translated  into  Shanscrit.  Mr.  C.  is  the 
proper  man  to  oppose  the  Pentateuch  to  the  Hindoo  Cosmogony, 
and  to  invite  the  Brahmins  to  contemplate  the  Mosaic  Records,  in 
classical  Shanscrit.  This  would  be  a  work  worthy  of  his  great 
erudition  ;  and  his  name,  as  a  Shanscrit  Scholar,  would  then,  in¬ 
deed,  live  for  ever.  Mr.  Colebrooke  has  ever  shewn  kindn  ss  to 
the  humble  Missionaries,  who  have  been  cultivating  the  Shanscrit 
Tongue;  he  has  supplied  them  with  books,  and  afiorded  them  ev¬ 
ery  liberal  aid :  it  will  give  him  no  regret,  at  his  last  hour,  to  think 
that  he  has  had  it  in  his  power,  in  any  degree,  to  promote  the 
cause  of  Christianity. 


BIBLIOTHECA  BIBLICA. 


155 


THE  BIBLIOTHECA  BIBLICA 
IN  BENGAL. 


The  Bibliotheca  Bibiica  is  a  Repository  for  Bibles  in 
the  Oriental  Languages,  and  for  Bibles  only.  They 
are  here  deposited  for  sale,  at  moderate  prices  ;  and 
lists  ol  the  various  versions  are  sent  to  remote  parts  of 
Asia,  that  individuals  may  know  where  to  purchase 
them ;  the  commerce  from  the  port  of  Calcutta  ren¬ 
dering  the  transmission  of  books  extremely  easy. 
Those  who  desire  to  have  copies  for  gratuitous  distri¬ 
bution  are  supplied  at  the  cost  prices.  This  Institution 
is  under  the  immediate  superintendance  of  the  Rev. 
David  Brown,  late  Provost  of  the  College  of  Fort- Wil¬ 
liam,  who  was  himself  the  Founder  :  and  it  is  supported 
by  all  the  translators  of  the  Bible  in  India,  who  send  in 
their  versions,  and  by.  the  College  of  Fort- William 
which  sends  in  its  versions. 

T>-,e!’e  hrVG  been  already  deposited  in  the  Bibliothe¬ 
ca  Bibiica  lour  thousand  volumes,  in  the  following  lan¬ 
guages  :  '  6 


Arabic, 

Persian, 

Hindostanee, 

Shanscrit, 

Mahratta, 


Orissa, 
Bengalee, 
Chinese, 
Portuguese,  and 
English. 


These  translations  have  been  chiefly  furnished  by  the 
lollowing  persons :  1 

Dr.  William  Cary  and  Mr.  Joshua  Marshman- 
two  men  whose  names  will  probably  go  down  to  the  la¬ 
test  posterity  in  India,  as  faithful  translators  of  the  Ho- 

JL?rwPtUneS;  ThC?e  have  furnished  the  Shanscrit , 
Bengalee ,  Orissa,  and  Mahratta. 

Nathaniel  Sabat,  from  Arabia,  has  contributed  the 

r 1  fixSt  Persian  translation  (which  is  also 
n  the  Bibliotheca)  was  made  by  the  late  Lieutenant  Co- 

•° «Ci CoLEBaooKE>  Surveyor-General  in  Bengal;  and 
it  blesses  his  memory.”  1 

Mizra  Fitrut  furnishes  the  Hindostanee.  There  is 
another  Hindostanee  translation  by  the  Missionaries  at 
oerampore;  and  1 


156 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES.' 


Mr.  Joannes  Lassar  is  author  of  the  Chinese . 

There  Avill  be  a  large  accession  to  this  honorable 
catalogue  in  a  year  or  two.  It  is  astonishing  how 
much  this  simple  Institution,  like  the  Bible  Society  in 
England,  has  attracted  the  attention  of  the  public,  Na¬ 
tive  and  European,  wherever  it  has  been  announced. 
The  superintendants  have  recently  sent  to  England  for 
the  following  supply  of  Bibles  which  is  now  collecting 


for  them,  viz. 

Old  and  New  Test. 

New  Test. 

English 

2000 

2000 

Portuguese 

- 

-  2000 

2000 

Ftench 

- 

-  500 

500 

German 

500 

Dutch 

- 

-  500 

Danish 

500 

Spanish  - 

- 

-  200 

Latin  - 

100 

100 

Italian  - 

- 

-  100 

100 

Hebrew 

100 

Greek 

- 

-  100 

100 

Syriac  - 

- 

-  — 

100 

Swedish  - 

- 

-  50 

Prussian 

- 

50 

Russian 

- 

-  50 

Armenian,  *1 

Malay,  and  > 

-As 

many  copies  as  can  be 

procured. 

Arabic,  J 

Attached  to 

the 

Bibliotheca  Biblica  is 

a  Transla- 

tion  Library,  containing  books  for  the  use  of  the 
Translators  of  the  Scriptures.  As  this  Library  is  not 
complete,  many  of  the  necessary  works  not  being  pro¬ 
curable  in  India,  a  list  of  the  volumes  required  will  be 
published  ;  in  the  hope  that  learned  bodies  and  individ¬ 
uals  having  duplicates,  will  be  pleased  to  present  them 
to  the  Bibliotheca  Biblica  in  Bengal. 

This  Institution  was  first  organized  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Brown,  with  a  full  reliance  on  the  patronage  of  the 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  which  has  cordially 
embraced  his  views,- and  of  the  Society  for  promoting 
Christian  knowledge,  and  of  the  Universities  in  the 
United  Kingdom,  which  we  hope  w  ill  enrich  its  Trans¬ 
lation  Library. 


SIBLIOTHECA  BIBLICa!  j5y 

The  Rev^  David  Brown,  Senior  Chaplain  of  the 

teTcolfet  CTP™1  ,in  BenSal>  f°™erly  of  Magda- 
In  College,  Cambridge,  has  now  been  twentv-seven 

Sacred6!..'"1'1"  In‘lia,;  a"d  is  the  “alous  promoter  of 
sacred  Learning  in  the  East.  He  is  educating  Ids 

i„*‘ *“e  “h  SOlely  With  the  'i5w  of  quflify- 

knowled^e  Of  rn  .™Portan.*  P«mpose  of  extend  ng  the 

«««  o^efhas 

S™ 4?eypaye  "0,V  a?ded  t0  these  first  language!  the 
(  lc"  C!  siani  and  Hmdostan.ee ,  which  ^thev  nrn 

Mr^rown,  house,  may  he  " 

E„°gfae„cf  ^ 'a,B,rn’S  in,enti<»  *>  sa"d 

their  education  at  thi  n,  "•  proper  a8'e>  to  finish 
Church,  ^the  v^: 

their  ministrations  in  India.  Mr.  Brown  Mms^n!*6 
now  seen  two  or  three  venerations  nnco  .  .  4 

pss-‘.s 

knowledge  of  his  trulv  .mi-;  i  .  from  a  Personal 
enter.  In  the  man!  fC!?  8  d‘sin“mested  char¬ 

ed,  there  is  notTe!  astheTuthortr''  haV=  — d‘ 
not  recorded  a  public  testimony  to  the  merits  of  rt*1" 

f  of  his  a^lmtafstr"  ,  oC„°U“ewi  ‘°-the 

of  that^Nobleman,  that  Mr. 

Uta  CaAR,TiB«  Fund  for  distressed  European! 


"CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


'15$ 


and  others  of  which  it  may  be  truly  said,  that  it  has 
been  a  Fountain  of  Mercy  to  thousands  in  Bengal  for 
ten  years  past,  it  having  been  established  in  the  first 
year  of  the  new  century.*  Mr.  Brown  would  have 
probably  returned  from  India  with  his  large  family  by 
this  time,  but  his  diffusive  benevolence  in  private  Char¬ 
ity,  and  in  public  undertakings,  both  in  India  and  Eng¬ 
land,  and  the  frequent  demands  on  a  man  in  his  public 
station,  he  being  at  the  head  of  the  Church  in  Bengal, 
have  not  permitted  him  to  increase  his  fortune  suitably. 
And  now,  the  prospect  which  opens  to  his  view  of  be¬ 
ing  more  extensively  useful  than  before,  in  encouraging 
translations  of  the  Scriptures,  in  promoting  the  objects 
of  the  Bible  Society,  and  in  educating  his  sons  for  the 
Oriental  Church,  makes  him  willing  to  remain  a  few 
years  longer  in  India. 

THE  ARMENIANS. 

A  learned  author,  in  a  work  published  about  the 
beginning  of  last  century,  entitled  “  The  Light  of  the 
Gospel,  rising  on  all  nations,”  observes,  “  that  the  Ar¬ 
menian  Christians  will  be  most  eminently  qualified 
for  the  office  of  extending  the  knowledge  of  Christian¬ 
ity  throughout  the  nations  of  Asia.”f  This  is  un¬ 
doubtedly  true.  Next  to  the  Jew's,  the  Armenians 
will  form  the  most  generally  useful  body  of  Christian 
Missionaries.  They  are  to  be  found  in  every  princi¬ 
pal  city  of  Asia;  they  are  the  general  merchants  of 
the  East,  and  are  in  a  state  of  constant  motion  from 
Canton  to  Constantinople.  Their  general  character 
is  that  of  a  wealthy,  industrious,  and  enterprising  peo¬ 
ple.  They  are  settled  in  all  the  principal  places  of  In¬ 
dia,  where  they  arrived  many  centuries  before  the  Eng¬ 
lish.  Wherever  they  colonize  they  build  Churches, 
and  observe  the  solemnities  of  the  Christian  Religion 
in  a  decorous  manner.  Their  Ecclesiastical  Estab¬ 
lishment  in  Hindustan  is  more  respectable  than  that 
of  the  English.  Like  us,  they  have  three  Churches  in 

*  This  Institution  not  only  assists  occasionally,  but  pensions  per¬ 
manently  Europeans,  Mahomedans,  and  Hindoos. 

f  Fabricii  Lux  Evangelii,  p.  651. 


RESPECTING  THE  ARMENIANS. 


159 


the  three  capitals,  one  at  Calcutta,  one  at  Madras,  and 
one  at  Bombay ;  but  they  have  also  Churches  in  the 
interior  of  the  country.*  The  Bishop  sometimes  visits 
Calcutta ;  but  he  is  not  resident  there.  The  proper 
country  of  these  Christians  is  Armenia,  the  greater 
pat  t  of  w  hich  is  subject  to  the  Persian  Government  ; 
but  they  are  scattered  all  over  the  Empire,  the  com¬ 
merce  of  Persia  being  chiefly  conducted  by  Armenians. 
Their  Patriarch  resides  at  Erivan ,  not  far  from  Mount 
Ararat. 

i  he  history  of  the  Armenian  Church  is  very  inter¬ 
esting.  Of  ail  the  Christians  in  central  Asia,  they  have, 
preserved  themselves  most  free  from  Mahomedan  and 
Papal  corruptions.  T.  he  Pope  assailed  them  for  a  time 
with  great  violence,  but  with  little  effect.  The 
Churches  in  lesser  Armenia  indeed  consented  to  an  un¬ 
ion,  which  did  not  long  continue;  but  those  in  Persian 
Armenia  maintained  their  independence;  and  they  retain 
their  ancient  Scriptures,  doctrines,  and  worship,' to  this 
day.  “  It  is  marvellous,  ”  says  an  intelligent  traveller, 
who  was  much  among  them,  “  how  the  Armenian  Chris¬ 
tians  have  preserved  their  faith,  equally  against  the  vex¬ 
atious  oppression  of  the  Mahomedans  their  sovereigns, 
t.nd  against  the  pursuasions  of  the  Romish  Church, 
which  for  more  than  two  centuries  has  endeavored,  by 
Missionaries,  Priests,  and  Monks,  to  attach  them  to  her 
ommunion.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  artifices 
and  expenses  of  the  Court  of  Rome,  to  effect  this  ob¬ 
ject;  but  all  in  vain. ”f 

1  he  Bible  was  translated  into  the  Armenian  Lan¬ 
guage  m  the  fifth  century,  under  very  auspicious  cir¬ 
cumstances,  the  history  of  which  has  come  down  to  us. 

It  has  been  allowed,  by  competent  judges  of  the  lan¬ 
guage,  to  be  a  most  faithful  translation.  La  Croze  calls 
it  t  le  Queen  of  Versions.  This  Bible  has  ever  re- 

C/«'n«!ra/engal  al°ne’  thCy  haVe  Churches  at  Eacea  Sijdabad,  and 
f  Chardin,  vol.  ii,  p.  232. 

t  Mr.  Joannes  Lassar,  who  is  now  making  a  version  of  the  Scrip- 

Ban  C1j‘"ese  Language  in  Bengal,  is  an  Armenian  Chris- 

unler^n^P  r3.  cll'eJ-V  fron\the  Armenian  Bible.  But  he  also 
understands  English,  and  consults  the  English  version. 


160 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES. 


raained  in  the  possession  of  the  Armenian  people;  and 
many  illustrious  instances  of  genuine  and  enlightened 
piety  occur  in  their  history.  The  manuscript  copies 
not  being  sufficient  for  the  demand,  a  council  of  Arme¬ 
nian  Bishops  assembled  in  1662,  and  resolved  to  call 
in  aid  the  art  of  Printing,  of  which  they  had  heard  in 
Europe.  For  this  purpose  they  applied  first  to  France, 
but  the  Catholic  Church  refused  to  print  their  Bible. 
At  length  it  was  printed  at  Amsterdam  in  1 666,  and  after¬ 
wards  two  other  editions  in  1668,  and  1698.  Since  that 
time  it  has  been  printed  at  Venice.  One  of  the  editions 
which  the  Author  has  seen,  is  not  inferior,  in  beauty  of 
typography,  to  the  best  English  Bible.  Flow  far  these 
editions  might  have  supplied  the  Churches  in  Persia  at 
that  time,  he  does  not  know ;  but,  at  present,  the  Ar¬ 
menian  Scriptures  are  very  rare  in  that  country,  bearing 
no  proportion  to  the  Armenian  population  ;  and  in  In¬ 
dia,  a  copy  is  scarcely  to  be  purchased  at  any  price. 

The  Armenians  in  Hindostan  are  our  own  subjects. 
They  acknowledge  our  government  in  India,  as  they  do 
that  of  the  Sophi  in  Persia  ;  and  they  are  entitled  to  our 
regard.  They  have  preserved  the  Bible  in  its  purity; 
and  their  doctrines  are,  as  far  as  the  Author  knows,  the 
doctrines  of  the  Bible.  Besides,  they  maintain  the 
solemn  observance  of  Christian  worship,  through¬ 
out  our  Empire,  on  the  seventh  day  :  and  they  have 
as  many  spires  pointing  to  heaven  among  the  Hin¬ 
doos,  as  we  ourselves.  Are  such  a  people  then  enti¬ 
tled  to  no  acknowledgment  on  our  part,  as  fellow 
Christians  ?  Are  they  forever  to  be  ranked  by  us  with 
Jews,  Mahomedans,  and  Hindoos  ?*  Would  it  not 
become  us  to  approach  nearer  to  these  our  subjects, 
endeavor  to  gain  their  confidence,  and  conciliate  their 
esteem  ?  Let  us,  at  least,  do  that  which  is  easily  prac¬ 
ticable.  We  are  in  possession  of  the  means  of  Jirint- 

*  Sarkies  Joannes,  an  Armenian  merchant  of  Calcutta,  when 
lie  heard  of  the  King’s  recovery  from  illness  in  1789,  liberated  all 
the  prisoners  for  debt  in  the  gaol  of  Calcutta.  His  Majesty, 
hearing  of  this  instance  of  loyalty  in  an  Armenian  subject,  sent 
him  his  picture  in  miniature.  Sarkies  wore  the  Royal  present 
suspended  at  his  breast,  during  his  life ;  and  it  is  now  worn  by 
his  son,  when  he  appears  at  the  levee  of  the  Governor-general.; 


ecclesiastical  establishment. 


161 


whidi  they  have  not.  Let  us  print  the  Armen¬ 
ian  Bible,  and  employ  proper  persons  from  anion? 
themselves,  to  superintend  the  work,  and  encourage 
thern  to  disperse  their  own  faithful  copy  throughout 
the  Last.  Let  us  shew  them,  that  the  diffusion  of  the 
benptures  is  an  undertaking  to  which  we  are  not  in¬ 
different;  and,  by  our  example,  let  us  stimulate  then- 
zeal,  which  is  very  languid.  But,  however  languid 
then  zeal  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  they  consider  the 
English  as  being  yet  more  dead  to  the  interests  of  re¬ 
ligion,  than  themselves.  Such  a  subject  as  this,  in¬ 
deed  every  subject  which  is  of  great’  importance  to 
Chi  lstianity,  is  worthy  the  notice  of  our  Government, 
as  well  as  of  individuals  and  societies.  The  printing 
press,  which  shall  be  employed  in  multiplying  copies 

of  the  pure  Armenian  Bible,  will  prove  a  precious 

OrieSS  nsfl  R  era."Selizatiun  of  the  East;  and  the 
,ental  Blble  Repository  at  Calcutta  will  be  a  central 
and  convenient  place  for  its  dispersion. 

ECCLESIASTICAL  ESTABLISHMENT 

FOR 

BRITISH  INDIA. 

Before  the  Author  left  India,  he  published  a  «  Me¬ 
moir  of  the  Expediency  of  an  Ecclesiastical  Establish¬ 
ment  for  our  Empire  in  die  East.  The  design  of  that 
work  was  first  suggested  to  him  by  the  revered  Dr 
Porteus,  late  Bishop  of  London,  who  had  attentively 
our\ eyed  the  state  of  our  dominions  in  Asia;  and  he 
was  encouraged  by  subsequent  communications  with 
the  Marquis  Wellesley,  to  endeavor  to  lead  the  at- 
Limon  of  the  nation  to  the  subject.  That  publication 
has  now  been  four  years  before  the  public  ;  and  manv 
vohunes  have  been  written  on  the  various  subject's 
which  it  contains  :  but  he.  does  not  know  that  any  ob¬ 
jection  has  been  made  to  the  principle  of  an  Ecclesi¬ 
astical  Establishment  for  Christians  in  India  An  it 
tempt  has  been  made  indeed  to  divert  the  attention  from 
the  true  object,  and,  instead  of  considering  it  as  ar 
establishment  for  Christians,  to  set  it  forth  as  an  e^ 

o2 


162 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


tablishment  for  instructing  the  Hindoos.  But  the  in¬ 
struction  of  the  Hindoos  is  entirely  a  distinct  consider¬ 
ation,  as  was  carefully  noted  in  the  Memoir.  At  the 
end  of  the  first  part  is  the  following  paragraph  : 

“  It  will  be  remembered,  that  nothing  which  has 
been  observed  is  intended  to  imply  that  any  peculiar 
provision  should  be  made  immediately  for  the  instruc¬ 
tion  of  the  natives.  Any  expensive  establishment  of 
this  kind,  however  becoming  our  national  character, 
or  obligatory  on  our  principles,  cannot  possibly  be  or¬ 
ganized  to  efficient  purpose,  without  the  aid  of  a  local 
Church.  Let  us  first  establish  our  own  religion 
amongst  ourselves ,  and  our  Asiatic  subjects  will  soon 
benefit  by  it.  When  once  our  national  Church  shall 
have  been  confirmed  in  India,  the  members  of  that 
Church  will  be  the  best  qualified  to  advise  the  State, 
as  to  the  means  by  which,  from  time  to  time,  the  civil¬ 
ization  of  the  natives  may  be  promoted.”* 

An  Ecclesiastical  Establishment  would  yet  be  neces¬ 
sary  for  British  India,  if  there  were  not  a  Mahomedan 
or  Hindoo  in  the  land.  For,  besides  the  thousands 
of  British  Christians,  who  live  and  die  in  that  coun¬ 
try,  there  are  hundreds  of  thousands  of  native  Chris¬ 
tians,  who  are  at  this  moment  “  as  sheep  without  a 
shepherd and  who  are  not  insensible  to  their  desti¬ 
tute  estate,  but  supplicate  our  countenance  and  pro¬ 
tection-  Surely  the  measure  cannot  be  contemplated 
by  the  Legislature,  for  a  moment,  without  perceiving 
its  absolute  propi’iety,  on  the  common  principles  of 
justice  and  humanity. 

In  regard  to  the  other  subject,  the  instruction  of  the 
Hindoos,  many  different  opinions  have  been  delivered 
in  the  volumes  alluded  to,  the  most  prominent  of 
which  are  the  two  following  :  First,  That  Hinduism 
is,  upon  the  whole,  as  good  as  Christianity,  and  that 
therefore  conversion  to  Christianity  is  not  necessary. 
This  deserves  no  reply.  The  second  opinion  is,  that 
it  is  indeed  a  sacred  duty  to  convert  the  Hindoos,  but 
that  we  must  not  do  it  by  force.  With  this  opinion 
the  Author  perfectly  coincides.  To  convert  men  by 

*  .Memoir,  chap.  II. 


ECCLESIASTICAL  ESTABLISHMENT. 


163 


any  other  means  than  those  of  persuasion,  is  a  practice 

.  only  tor  the  Inquisition,  and  completely  at  variance 
with  the  tenor  of  every  page  which  he  has  written. 
1  he  means  of  conversion,  which  he  has  recommended, 
are  those  which  are  appointed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
namely,  Preaching,  and  the  Word  of  God.”  The  first 
and  present  means  are  the  translation  of  the  word  of 
God  into  the  various  languages  ;  and  the  next  are  the 
labors  ot  teachers  and  preachers. 

^utIlor  ^  not,  nor  has  he  ever  been,  the  advo¬ 
cate  lor  force  and  personal  injury  toward  the  Hindoos. 
Ao  :  he  pleads  the  cause  of  humanity.  The  object  of 
his  ^ ,  ork,  and  of  his  Researches,  has  been  to  deliver 
the  people  ol  Hindostan  from  painful  and  sanguinary 
rites  ;  to  rescue  the  devoted  victim  from  the  wheels  of 
Moloch  s  tower;  to  snatch  the  tender  infant  from  the 
jaws  ol  the  alligator  ;  to  save  the  aged  parent  from  pre- 
mature  death  in  the  Ganges  ;  to  extinguish  the  flames 

oi  the  female  sacrifice,  and  to  “  cause  the  widow’s  heart 
to  sing-  for  joy.” 

Another  object  of  his  work  has  been,  to  shew,  that 
u  bile  the  feelings  of  the  Christian  are  painfully  affect¬ 
ed  by  the  exhibition  of  these  sufferings  and  atrocities, 
Infidelity,  on  the  other  hand,  can  behold  them,  and 
does  behold  them,  with  all  the  coldness  and  apathy  of 
oltaire. .  And  this  is  the  great  practical  triumph  of 

vmnstianity  over  philosophical  unbelief.  While  by  the 
former,  the  best  feelings  of  our  nature  are  meliorated, 
and  improved,  and  softened,  and  extended  ;  they  be¬ 
come,  by  the  influence  of  the  latter,  sullen,  and  cold,  and 
torpid,  and  dead. 

lhe  remaining  opinion  on  this  subject,  which  is 
worthy  o,  notice,  is  the  following:  «  The  conversion 

,.e  ,!?cloos  ,to  Christianity  is  indeed  a  solemn  ob¬ 
ligation,  if  practicable  :  but  the  attempt  may  possibly 
cisjflease  the  Hindoos  and  endanger  our  Empire.” 

I  Ins  fear  is  grounded  solely  on  an  ignorance  of  facts, 
and  on  the  remoteness  of  the  scene.  Christianity 
began  to  be  preached  to  Hindoos  by  Europeans,  3ob 
years  ago,  and  whole  provinces- are  now  covered  with 
Christians.  In  the  present  endeavors  of  Protestant 
Missionaries,  the  chief  difficulty  which  they  generally 


164? 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES 


experience  is  to  awaken  the  mind  of  the  torpid  Hindoos 
to  the  subject.  They  know  that  every  man  may 
choose  the  religion  he  likes  best,  and  profess  it  with  im¬ 
punity  ;  that  he  may  lose  his  cast  and  buy  a  cast  again, 
as  he  buys  an  article  of  merchandize.  There  are  a 
hundred  casts  of  religion  in  Hindostan  ;  and  there  is 
no  common  interest  about  a  particular  religion.  When 
one  native  meets  another  on  the  road,  he  seldom  ex¬ 
pects  to  find  that  he  is  of  the  same  cast  with  himself. 
They  are  a  divided  people.  Hindostan  is  like  the 
great  world  in  miniature  ;  when  you  pass  a  great  river 
or  lofty  mountain,  you  generally  find  a  new  variety. 
Some  persons  in  Europe  think  it  must  be  a  novelty  to 
the  Hindoos  to  see  a  Missionary.  There  have  been 
for  ages  past,  numerous  casts  of  Missionaries  inHindos- 
tan,  Pagan,  Plahomedan,  and  Christian,  all  seeking  to 
proselyte  individuals  to  anew  religion,  or  to  some  new 
sect  of  an  old  one.  The  difficulty,  as  the  Author  has  al¬ 
ready  observed,  in  regard  to  the  Protestant  Teachers,  is 
to  awaken  attention  to  their  doctrine. 

The  general  indifference  of  the  natives  to  these  at¬ 
tempts,  whether  successful  or  not,  has  been  demon¬ 
strated  by  recent  events.  After  the  adversaries  of 
Christian  Missions  had  circulated  their  pamphlets 
through  British  India,  with  the  best  intention  no 
doubt,  according  to  their  judgment,  announcing  the 
intelligence  that  some  of  the  English  wanted  to  con¬ 
vert  the  inhabitants  by  force,  and  to  set  Plindostan  in 
flames ;  the  natives  seem  to  have  considered  the  in¬ 
formation  as  absurd  or  unintelligible,  and  to  have 
treated  it  with  contempt.  For  immediately  after¬ 
wards,  when,  by  the  defection  of  the  British  troops, 
the  foundations  of  our  Empire  were  shaken  to  their 
centre,  both  Mahomedans  and  Hindoos  (who,  if  they 
wished  to  rebel,  needed  only  to  sound  that  trumpet 
which  was  first  sounded  by  a  Senior  Merchant  in 
Leadenhall-street,  no  doubt  with  the  best  intentions) 
evinced  their  accustomed  loyally,  and  crowded  round 
the  standard  of  the  Supreme  Government  in  the  hour 
of  danger.* 

*  A  worthy  Clergyman  belonging'  to  the  Presidency  of  Fort  St. 
Ceorge,  who  witnessed  the  troops  marching  against  each  other, 


ECCLESIASTICAL  ESTABLISHMENT. 


165 


riiere  is  one  argument  for  the  expediency  of  an  Ec¬ 
clesiastical  Establishment,  which  the  Author  did  not 
insist  on  strongly  in  the  Memoir,  from  motives  of  deli¬ 
cacy  .  but  lecent  events  have  rendered  the  same  reserve 
no  longer  necessary.  He  will  proceed  therefore  to  dis¬ 
close  a  fact  which  will  serve  to  place  the  motives  for 
recommending  such  an  establishment  in  their  just 
ig  n.  it  is  not  the  .giving  the  Christian  Religion  to 
tne  natives  which  will  endanger  our  Empire,  but  the 
want  of  religion  among  our  own  countrymen.  After  the 
disturbance  among  the  British  Officers  in  Bengal  in 
79 4,  which  for  a  time  had  a  most  alarming  aspect, 
being  of  the  same  character  with  that  which  took  place 
lateiy  at  Madras,  a  Memorial  was  presented  to  the 
aiqvns  e.lesley,  on  his  accession  to  the  govern- 
me.H,  v  prisons  who  had  been  long  in  the  service  of 
tne  Company,  and  who  were  well  acquainted  with  the 
circumstances  of  the  Empire  at  large  ;  representing  the 
neccssi.y  of  a  suitable  “  Religious  Establishment  for 
British  India  :  and  illustrating  that  necessity  by  the 
events  wmcn.  had  recently  taken  place  in  the  army, 
i  ffiit  Memorial  referred  to  the  almost  total  extinction 
°f  Uu’lstIJ*n  worship,  at  the  military  stations,  where 
tne  seventh  day  was  only  distinguished  by  the  British 
lag.;  and  noticed  the  fatal  consequences  that  might 
be  expected  mom  large  bodies  of  men,  far  remote  from 
tue  controlling  power  of  the  parent  state,  enjoying 
luxury  ana  independence,  and  seeing  nothing,  from 
youth  to  age,  of  the  religion  of  their  country.  It 
shewed  further,  that,  of  the  whole  number  of  English 

afterk'the  dl™  a  l'me’  what  w<?uld  be  the  f;lte  of  the  Empire  ; 
striking  reflr  r  P  ''aS  ,ove:’J  makes  the  following  most  just  and 
ocru red  tf  T  ’  ’2  a  Ietter  to  a  Mend  “  It  cannot  but  have 
if  hi  ad  i3r,eifleCtrg  m'nd’ in  lookinS  back  on  past  scenes, 
our  domininnc  dl  drn  ,h'S  proyidence  t0  have  dispossessed  us  of 
Twml  k  1  b°u  i‘Ule  Would  have  remained  to  shew  that  a 
1  e  iple  blessed  with  the  light  of  the  glorious  Gospel  of  Christ  had 

m  m  t  !,sland!  now,”  (he  adds  exultingy, 
a  lusmn  to  tire  Translation  of  the  Scriptures)  “  the  Word  of  God 

If  r  v  fwageS  °f  all  India,  will  be  an  enduring  Monument 
»d?h  Liberality,  for  which  the  sacrifice  of  Prayer 

ecatims".  e'V“S  "  ‘  “cend  “  llle  HiSh.  to  the  latest  gen. 


166 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES. 


who  go  to  India,  not  a  tenth  part  return  ;  and  assigned 
this  fact  as  a  reason  why  their  religion  should  follow 
them  to  the  East ;  that  it  might  be,  in  the  first  place, 
a  solace  to  themselves,  in  the  dreary  prospect  of  dying 
in  that  land  (for  of  a  thousand  soldiers  in  sickly  India, 
there  will  be  generally  a  hundred  in  declining  health) 
and  secondly,  “  that  it  might  be  some  security  for  their 
loyalty  to  their  king,  and  their  attachment  to  the  prin¬ 
ciples  of  their  country.”  ,  , 

It  required  not  a  Memorial  to  apprize  Marquis 
Wellesley  of  the  truth  of  these  facts,  or  of  the  justness 
of  the  reasoning  upon  them.  The  necessity  of  a 
meliorated  state  of  society  for  the  English  armies,  was 
made  evident  to  him  by  his  own  observation  ;  and  it 
cannot  be  doubted  that,  had  that  Nobleman  remained 
in  India,  to  complete  the  plans  he  meditated  for  the 
advantage  of  that  country,  and  had  his  coadjutor,  Mr. 
Pitt,  lived,  a  suitable  Religious  Establishment  would 
have  been,  by  this  time,  proposed  to  the  East-India 
Company,  for  every  part  of  their  dominions  in  Hin- 
dostan.  But  Marquis  Wellesley  had  another  and  a 
more  imperious  service  first  to  perform,  and  this  was, 

to  SAVE  THE  BODY  OF  THE  EMPIRE  ITSELF.  British 

Hindostan  was,  at  that  moment,  surrounded  by  strong 
and  formidable  enemies,  who  were  putting  themselves 
u  in  the  attitude  of  the  tiger,”  as  a  Vakeel  of  Tippoo 
expressed  it,  “  to  leap  upon  the  prey.”  And  this  service 
that  great  Statesman  achieved  under  Divine  Provi¬ 
dence,  first,  by  destroying  the  Mysorean  Empire,  under 
Tippoo  Sultaun,  and  thereby  extinguishing  the  Ma- 
homedan  power  in  Hindostan ;  secondly,  by  over¬ 
whelming  the  hitherto  invincible  Mahrattas ;  and 
lastly,  by  forming  on  the  frontier  a  league  of  strength, 
which  like  a  wall  of  iron ,  has  saved  the  country  from 
native  invasion  ever  since  ;  notwithstanding  its  subse¬ 
quent  critical  and  exposed  state,  in  consequence  of 
frequent  changes  of  the  Supreme  Government,  and  of 
dissentions  in  our  army.  The  services  which  that  No¬ 
bleman  performed  for  our  Empire  in  the  East  were 
very  ill  understood  at  the  time  :  his  views  were  so  com¬ 
prehensive,  that  few  men  could  embrace  them  :  They 
are  more  generally  acknowledged  now  j  but  it  is  to  be 


ECCLESIASTICAL  ESTABLISHMENT. 


167 


apprehended  that  some  years  must  yet  elapse,  before 
all  the  beneficial  consequences  cf  his  administration, 
will  be  fully  made  known  to  his  country. 

It  has  been  a  subject  of  wonder  to  many  in  Eng¬ 
land,  t  .at  our  army  should  at  any  time  betray  symp¬ 
toms  of  disaffection  in  India,  when  no  instance  of  it 
occurs  elsewhere.  But  die  surprise  will  cease,  when 
the  circumstances  before  mentioned  shall  have  been 
duly  weighed.  Of  the  individuals  engaged  in  the  late 
disturbances  at  Madras,  there  were  perhaps  some,  who 
had  not  witnessed  the  service  of  Christian  worship  for 
twenty  years ;  whose  minds  were  impressed  by  the 
daily  view  of  the  rites  of  the  Hindoo  religion,  and  had 
lost  almost  all  memory  of  their  own.  It  is  morally 
impossible  to  live  long  in  such  circumstances,  without 
being  in  some  degree  affected  by  them.  That  loyalty 
is  but  little  to  be  depended  on,  whether  abroad  or  at 
home,  which  has  lost  the  basis  of  religion. 

1  he  true  spring  of  the  irregular  proceeding,  con¬ 
temptuous  remonstrance,  and  ultimate  disaffection  of 
the  military  in  India,  is  this  :  Large  bodies  of  troops  at 
a  great  distance  from  Britain,  which  they  never  expect 
to  see  again,  begin,  after  a  long  absence,  to  feel  more 
sensibly  their  own  independence,  while  their  affection 
for  their  native  country  gradually  diminishes.  And 
if,  under  such  circumstances,  they  have  not  the  re¬ 
straints  of  religion,  (for  what  is  obedience  “  to  the  pow¬ 
ers  that  be”  but  the  restraint  of  religion  ?)  and  if  they 
have  not  the  frequent  view  of  Christian  worship  to  re- 
cal  their  minds,  by  association  of  ideas,  to  the  sacred 
ordinances  and  principles  of  their  country,  it  is  impos¬ 
sible  to  foresee  to  what  degrees  of  rebellion  or  infatua¬ 
tion  they  may  proceed.  It  is  unjust  to  ascribe  these 
proceedings  to  the  casual  acts  of  the  Governor  for  the 
time  being.  Indiscreet  measures  on  his  part  may  form 
the  pretext;  but  the  true  cause  lies  much  deeper.  The 
Company’s  Officers  in  India  are  as  honorable  a  body 
of  military  men  as  are  to  be  found  in  the  world,  the 
Author  knows  them,  but  they  are  in  peculiar  circum¬ 
stances  ;  and  if  any  other  description  of  troops  were  in 
their  stead,  passing  a  whole  life  in  such  an  unchri$- 


168 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES. 


tianizing  service,  the  same  causes  would  still  produce 
the  same  effects. 

The  most  alarming  consideration,  while  things  re¬ 
main  in  their  present  state,  is  this,  that,  in  proportion 
as  our  Empire  increases,  and  our  force  in  India  grows 
stronger,  the  danger  arising  from  the  foregoing  causes, 
becomes  the  greater.  These  are  obvious  truths,  on 
which  it  is  not  necessary  to  dilate.  But  there  is  an¬ 
other  subject  allied  to  this,  which  the  Author  thinks  ita 
solemn  duty  to  bring  before  the  public. 

Not  only  are  our  troops  denied  suitable  religious  in¬ 
struction,  when  they  arrive  in  India,  but  they  are  desti¬ 
tute  of  it,  during  their  long  voyage  to  that  country. 
The  voyage  is,  on  an  average,  six  months.  Now,  pro¬ 
vision  ought  certainly  to  be  made  for  Divine  worship, 
and  for  spiritual  consolation  to  the  soldiers,  during  that 
period  ;  for  it  is  sometimes  a  period  of  great  sickness, 
and  of  frequent  death.  Indeed  there  ought  to  be  a 
Chaplain  on  board  of  every  India  ship.* 

They  who  profess  to  believe  in  the  Christian  Reli¬ 
gion,  ought  also  to  believe  in  the  superintending 
providence  of  God  :  ought  to  believe  that  the  Divine 
blessing  will  accompany  those  designs  which  are  un¬ 
dertaken  in  his  name,  and  conducted  in  his  fear.  If 

*  The  East-India  Company  require  the  Commander  or  Purser 
of  every  ship  to  read  prayers  on  Sunday,  when  the  weather  permits. 
The  service  is  performed,  in  many  cases,  in  a  serious  and  truly 
impressive  manner ;  and  the  acknowledged  good  effects  in  such 
cases,  convey  the  strongest  recommendation  of  the  measure  which 
has  been  proposed.  One  important  duty  of  the  Chaplain  of  an 
India-man  might  be,  to  superintend  the  studies  of  the  young  "Wri¬ 
ters  and  Cadets  proceeding  to  India  ;  who,  for  want  of  some  di¬ 
rection  of  this  kind,  genet  ally  pass  the  long  voyage  in  idleness, 
lounging  on  the  quarterdeck,  or  gambling  in  the  cuddy.  So  im¬ 
portant  has  this  subject  been  considered,  that  during  the  admin¬ 
istration  of  Marquis  Wellesley,  a  detailed  plan  for  carrying  the 
proposed  measure  into  effect  was  actually  transmitted  to  a  Mem¬ 
ber  of  the  Court  of  Directors,  to  lay  before  the  Court.  If, it  were 
made  an  indispensable  qualification  of  the  Chaplain,  that  be  should 
understand  the  rudiments  of  the  Persian  and  Jhndostanee  Langua¬ 
ges,  and  the  common  elements  of  geometry  and  navigation,  for  the 
instruction  of  the  Midshipmen,  his  services  would  be  truly  impor¬ 
tant,  merely  in  his  secular  character.  Every  truly  respectable 
Commander  in  the  Company’s  service,  must  be  happy  to  have  an 
exemplary  Clergyman  on  board  his  ship. 


ECCLESIASTICAL  ESTABLISHMENT. 


16S 


we  were  a  heathen  nation,  then  might  we  send  forth 
our  fleets  without  a  prayer,  and  commit  them  for  a 
safe  voyage,  “  to  goddess  Fortune  and  fair  winds.” 
.but  we  are  a  Christian  nation,  though  not  a  supersti¬ 
tious  one  ;  and,  however  individuals  may  consider  it, 
it  is  certain  that  our  countrymen  in  general,  view  the 
performance  of  the  offices  of  religion  with  great  res¬ 
pect;  and  that,  in  particular  circumstances  on  board 
snp,  no  ciuty  is  more  acceptable,  none  more  interest- 
mg,  none  more  salutary  and  consoling.  Such  scenes 
the  Author  himself  has  witnessed-;  and  from  those  per¬ 
sons  who  have  witnessed  such  scenes,  he  has  never 
heard  but  one  opinion  as  to  the  propriety  of  having  a 
Clergyman  to  form  one  of  the  great  family  in  a  ship, 
in  these  long,  sickly,  and  perilous  voyages.  When 
the  news  arrived  in  England  last  year  of  the  loss  of 
the  seven  India-men  in  a  distant  ocean,  how  gratify¬ 
ing  would  it  have  been  to  surviving  friends,  if  they 
could  have  been  assured  that  the  offices  of  religion 
and  the  consolations  of  its  ministers,  had  been  afford¬ 
ed  to  those  who  perished,  during  their  last  days  !* 

1  liese  events  have  a  warning  voice  ;  and  it  is  not  un¬ 
becoming  a  great  and  respectable  body  of  men,  like 
the  East-India  Company  to  attend  to  it.  The  Autho” 

S*®  a]!efy  parked,  .that  the  Legislature  has  not 
neglected  a  subject  of  this  importance.  It  is  required 
that  every  ship  of  the  line  should  have  a  Chaplain  ;  and 

mimT/ei  aiC  y  fSCen  S?mre  °f  our  most  unowned  Ad¬ 
mirals,  both  before  and  after  battle,  causing  the  pray- 

ofSheatetnankSS1VingS  °f  the  fleet  t0  ascend"  t0  the1  God 

There  still  remains  one  topic  more,  to  which  the 

“f  ?r  td  advert  *  be  presumed  to  be  die 
the  maJ01‘  Parl  »f  this  nation,  that  whenever  a 
Missionary  of  exemplary  character  and  of  respectable 

.'commendation,  “P>>lies  10  ‘he  East-India  Company 

for  a  passage  to  our  Eastern  shores,  his  request  might 

the  inhabitants  of  Calcutta,  and  of  his  'friends  AS.  ^  “ 

P 


270 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES^ 


be  treated  with  indulgence.  In  him  we  exporta  bles¬ 
sing  (as  he  may  prove  to  be)  to  thousands  of  our  fel¬ 
low-creatures ;  and  his  example,  and  instructions,  and 
prayers  will  do  no  harm  to  the  ship  in  which  he  sails. 
While  the  East-India  Company  retain  the  sole  privilege 
of  conveyance  to  India,  the  nation  would  be  pleased  to 
see  this  condescension  shewn  to  persons  in  humble  cir¬ 
cumstances,  whose  designs  are  of  a  public  character, 
and  acknowledged  by  all  men  to  be  pious  and  praise¬ 
worthy.  The  Author  will  conclude  these  observations 
with  a  paragraph  which  he  has  found  in  a  manuscript 
of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Kohloff,  of  Tanjore,  the  successor  of 
Mr.  Swartz,  which  has  been  just  transmitted  for  pub¬ 
lication  : 

“  It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  since  the  foundation 
of  our  Mission,  which  is  now  one  hundred  years,  and 
during  which  period  upwards  of  fifty  Missionaries  have 
arrived  from  Europe  ;  among  the  many  ships  that  have 
been  lost,  there  never  perishedone  vessel,  which  had 

A  MISSIONARY  ON  BOARD.”* 

The  following  Letter,  written  by  Dr.  M^aston, 
Bishop  of  Llandaff,  on  the  subject  of  an  Ecclesias¬ 
tical  Establishment  for  British  India,  was  published  in 
Calcutta,  in  the  year  1807. 

“  Calgarth~Park ,  Kendal e,  14 th  May ,  1806. 

REVEREND  SIR, 

“  Some  weeks  ago  I  received  your  Memoir  of  the 
expediency  of  an  Ecclesiastical  Establishment  for  Brit¬ 
ish  India  ;  for  which  obliging  attention  I  now  return  you 
my  best  thanks.  I  hesitated  for  some  time  whether 
I  ought  to  interrupt  your  speculations  with  my  ac¬ 
knowledgments  for  so  valuable  a  present ;  but  on  being 
informed  of  the  noble  Premium,  by  which  you  pur¬ 
pose  to  exercise  the  talents  of  Graduates  in  the  Uni¬ 
versity  of  Cambridge,  I  determined  to  express  to  you 
my  admiration  of  your  disinterestedness,  and  zeal  in  the 
cause  of  Christianity. 

“  Twenty  years  and  more  have  now  elapsed  since, 
in  a  Sermon,  before  the  House  of  Lords,  I  hinted  to 

*  MS.  materials  for  the  Life  of  Swartr. 


ECCLESIASTICAL  ESTABLISHMNET. 


m 


the  then  Government)  the  propriety  of  paying  regard 
to  the  propagation  of  Christianity  in  India;  and  I  have 
since  then,  as  fit  occasions  offered)  privately,  but  un¬ 
successfully,  pressed  the  matter  on  the  consideration 
ofthose  in  power.  If  my  voice  or  opinion  can,  in  future, 
be  of  any  weight  with  the  King’s  Ministers,  I  shall  be 
most  leady  to  exert  myself,  in  forwarding  any  prudent 
measure  for  promoting  a  liberal  Ecclesiastical  Estab¬ 
lishment  in  British  India;  it  is  not  without  considera¬ 
tion  that  I  say  a  liberal  establishment,  because  I  heartily 
wish  that  every  Christian  should  be  at  liberty  to  worship 
God  according  to  his  conscience,  and  be  assisted  therein 
by  a  Teacher,  at  the  public  expense,  of  his  own  per¬ 
suasion.  r 


“  The  subjects  you  have  proposed  for  the  work 
which  shall  obtain  your  Prize,  are  all  of  them  iudicious- 
3I ,chos®n»  and  lf  Properly  treated  (as  my  love  for  mv 
Alma  Mater  persuades  me  they  will  be)  may  probably 
tuin  the  thoughts  of  the  Legislature  towards  the  meas¬ 
ure  you  recommend. 


1  he  Sulutans  Lux  Mvangelil ,  by  Fabricius,  pub- 
hshed  at  Hamburgh  in  1731,  will  be  of  great  use  to 
the  Candidates  for  your  prize;  and  his  Index  Georra- 
fihicus  Episcopatuum  Orbis  Christiani,  subjoined  to 
that  work,  might,  if  accompanied  with  proper  Notes, 
afford  a  very  satisfactory  elucidation  of  your  third  head. 

God  in  his  providence,  hath  so  ordered  things, 
that  America,  which  three  hundred  vears  ago  was 
p®°Ple.d  by  ?01?e  but  Pagans,  has  now' many  millions 
of  Christians  in  it ;  and  will  not,  probably,  three  hundred 

bvamn^nrh  -h?VC  a  S1TIe  Pagan  in  it}  but  be  occupied 
by  more  Christians,  and  more  enlightened  Christians 
than  now  exist  in  Europe. 

“  Africa  is  not  now  worse  fitted  for  the  reception  of 
than  America  was,  when  it  was  first  visited 
by  Europeans  ;  and  Asia  is  much  better  fitted  for  it, 
in  as  much  as  Asia  enjoys  a  considerable  degree  of 
civilization;  and  some  degree  of  it  is  necessary  to  the 

successful  introduction  of  Christianity.  The  commerce 

and  colonization  of  Christian  states  have  civilized 

fhTstianizendthheyiWiiU’  prOCCSS  °f  time’  civilize  and 

christianize  the  whole  earth.  Whether  it  be  a  Chris- 


172 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES. 


tian  duty  to  attempt,  by  lenient  methods,  to  propagate 
the  Christian  religion  among  Pagans  and  Mahomedans, 
can  be  doubted,  I  think,  by  few  ;  but  whether  any  at¬ 
tempt  will  be  attended  with  much  success,  till  Chris¬ 
tianity  is  purified  from  its  corruptions,  and  the  lives  of 
Christians  are  rendered  correspondent  to  their  Christian 
profession,  may  be  doubted  by  many  :  but  there  cer¬ 
tainly  never  was  a  more  promising  opportunity  of  try¬ 
ing  the  experiment  of  subverting  Paganism  in  India, 
than  that  which  has  for  some  years  been  offered  to  the 
government  of  Great  Britain. 

“  The  morality  of  our  holy  religion  is  so  salutary  to 
civil  society,  its  promises  of  a  future  state  so  consola¬ 
tory  to  individuals,  its  precepts  so  suited  to  the  deduc¬ 
tions  of  the  most  improved  reason,  that  it  must  finally 
prevail  throughout  the  world.  Some  have  thought 
that  Christianity  is  losing  ground  in  Christendom.  I 
am  of  a  different  opinion.  Some  ascititious  doctrines, 
derived  from  Rome  and  Geneva,  are  losing  ground 
amongst  learned  men ;  some  unchristian  practices 
springing  from,  ignorance,  bigotry,  intolerance,  self- 
sufficiency  of  opinion,  with  uncharitableness  of  judg¬ 
ment,  are  losing  ground  among  all  sober-minded  men; 
but  a  belief  in  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  Saviour  of  the  world, 
as  the  medium  through  whom  eternal  life  will  be  given 
to  all  who  obey  his  Gospel,  is  more  and  more  confirmed 
every  day  in  the  minds  of  men  of  eminence  and  eru¬ 
dition,  not  only  in  this,  but  in  every  other  Christian 
country.  From  this  praise  I  am  not  disposed  to  ex¬ 
clude  even  France  itself,  notwithstanding  the  temporary 
apostasy  of  some  of  its  philosophers  from  every  degree 
of  religious  faith.  I  cannot  but  hope  well  of  that  coun¬ 
try,  when  I  see  its  National  Institute  proposing  for 
public  discussion  the  following  subject What  has 
been  the  influence  of  the  Reformation  of  Luther,  on  the 
political  situation  of  the  different  states  of  Europe,  and 
on  the  progress  of  Knowledge  ?”  especially  when  I  see 
the  subject  treated  by  Mr.  Villers,  in  a  manner  which 
would  have  derived  honor  to  the  most  liberal  Protest¬ 
ant  in  the  freest  state  in  Europe. 

“  It  is  not  to  be  denied,  that  the  morals  of  Christians 
in  general  fall  far  short  of  the  standard  of  Christian 


ecclesiastical  establishment.  173 

perfection,  and  have  ever  done  so,  scarcely  exceptin 
the  latter  end  of  the  first  century.  Yet,  notwithstandin 
this  concession,  it  is  a  certain  fact,  that  the  Christian 
leligion  has  always  operated  to  the  production  of  piety, 
benevolence,  self-government,  and  the  love  of  virtue 
amongst  individuals,  in  every  country  where  it  has  been 
received  ;  and  it  will  every  where  operate  more  power- 
iuHy,  asms  received  with  more  firm  assurance  of  its 
truth  ;  and  it  will  be  every  where  received  with  more 
m  assurance  of  its  truth,  as  it  is  better  understood  ; 

fhe  1S  p"oper,y  understood,  it  will  be  freed  from 

the  pollutions  of  superstition  and  fanaticism  among  the 
hearers,  and  from  ambition,  domination,  and  secularity 
among  the  teachers. 

Your  publication  has  given  us  in  England  a  great 
"S  lnto  the  ^ate  of  Christianity  in  India,  as  will  as 
to  the  general  state  of  Learning  amongst  you  ;  and  it 

of  t|er.  “  mVp  Warmest  f“' ^prosperity 

1  ch  ™  SI  °f  F°rt" William.  I,  is  an  Institution 
wind;  would  have  done  honor  to  the  wisdom  of  Solon 

Lycurg’us.  I  have  no  knowledge  personally  of  the 

his  rqU1?-  ?Vel-eslf^  but  1  sha11  tIlink  of  him  and  of 

nLtfl  irS-in  t-hlS  unc!ertakin8b  with  the  highest  re¬ 
spect  and  admiration,  as  long  as  I  live. 

F r“r ll tC-an^0t , e" tc r.  7 to  an7  particulars  relative  to  an 
ifansh  Establishment  in  India  ;  nor  would  it  per- 

e?inibilnP-OPer  7  pre?S  Government  to  take  the  mat- 
tei  into  their  consideration,  till  this  country  is  freed  from 

rfh?s“!-L?“-th-e“,e“S  U:  bm  1  that  opinion 
I  ’  fJJ  Mlms,.ers-  that  tliey  will,  not  only  from 
polic),  but  fiom  a  serious  sense  of  religious  duly,  be 

them*  with*  7^7^  ?ubject’  whenever  it  comes  before 

Jfrccl  their  'ibe''alit>--  M<V  fi«' 

“  ‘  Our  Empire  in  India,’  said  Mr.  Hastings  ‘  has 

byetl,eaCsr„rde>  1  -‘1,e  S'V0,'C'’  a”d  m"«  *»  ■nSJufart 

men  An  v  T  a^ree  with  him  «  this  senti- 

nent.  A  I  Empires  have  been  originally  acquired  bv 

lolence,  but  they  are  best  established  by  moderation 

JusUc,e',  J herewasatimewhen  we  shewed  ourselves 

J  rCn,  !nhabltlntS  °f  India  in  character  of  lymnts 
jbeis,  that  time,  I  trust  is  gone  for  ever.  The 

p  2 


to  bo 


174 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES. 


wisdom  of  British  Policy,  the  equity  of  its  jurispru¬ 
dence,  the  impartiality  of  its  laws,  the  humanity  of  its 
penal  code,  and  above  all,  the  incorrupt  administration 
of  public  justice,  will,  when  they  are  well  understood, 
make  the  Indians  our  willing  subjects,  and  induce  them 
to  adopt  a  religion  attended  with  such  consequences  to 
the  dearest  interests  of  the  human  mind.  They  will 
rejoice  in  having  exchanged  the  tyranny  of  Pagan  su¬ 
perstition,  and  the  despotism  of  their  native  princes, 
for  the  mild  mandates  of  Christianity,  and  the  stable 
authority  of  equitable  laws.  The  difference  between 
such  different  states  of  civil  society,  as  to  the  produc¬ 
tion  of  human  happiness,  is  infinite  ;  and  the  attain¬ 
ment  of  happiness  is  the  ultimate  aim  of  all  individuals 
in  all  nations.  I  am,  Reverend  Sir,  your  obliged  and 
faithful  servant, 

R.  LLANDAFF.” 

To  Rev.  Dr.  Buchanan,  Vice-Provost  of  the 

College  of  Port-  William,  Calcutta. 

CONCLUSION. 

In  the  progress  of  these  Researches  the  Author  has 
found  his  mind  frequently  drawn  to  consider  the  ex¬ 
traordinary  difference  of  opinion,  which  exists  among 
men  of  learning,  in  regard  to  the  importance  and  obli¬ 
gation  of  communicating  religious  knowledge  to  our 
fellow-creatures.  And  he  has  often  heard  the  question 
asked  by  others,  What  can  be  the  cause  of  this  dis¬ 
crepancy  of  opinion  ?  For  that  such  a  difference  does 
exist  is  most  evident ;  and  is  exemplified  at  this  mo¬ 
ment  in  some  of  the  most  illustrious  characters  for  rank 
and  learning,  in  the  nation.  This  is  a  problem  of  a  very 
interesting  character  at  this  day,  and  worthy  of  a  dis¬ 
tinct  and  ample  discussion,  particularly  at  the  seats  of 
learning.  The  problem  may  be  thus  expressed  :  “  What 
power  is  that,  which  produces  in  the  minds  of  some 
persons  a  real  interest  and  concern  in  the  welfare  of 
their  fellow-creatures  ;  extending  not  only  to  the  com¬ 
fort  of  their  existence  in  this  world,  but  to  their  felicity 
hereafter  ;  while  other  men  who  are  apparently  in  sim¬ 
ilar  circumstances  as  to  learning  and  information,  do 


CONCLUSION. 


175 

not  fed  inclined  to  move  one  stc/i  for  the  promotion  of 
such  objects  ?”  The  latter,  it  may  be,  can 
on  the  philosophy  of  the  human  mind,  on  its  great  pow¬ 
ers  and  high  dignity,  on  the  sublime  virtue  of  universal 
enevolence,  on  the  tyranny  of  superstition  and  the 
slavery  of  ignorance  ;  and  will  sometimes  quote  the 
verse  of  the  poet,  1 

Homo  sum  :  humani  nil  a  me  alienum  puto 
but  they  leave  it  to  others,  and  generally  to  the  Chris- 

verse11  This  ‘  ^  t0  C  reicise  the  sPirit  of  that  noble 
verse.  This  is  a  very  difficult  problem;  and  it  has 

been  alleged  by  some  that  it  cannot  be  solved  on  any 

known  principles  of  philosophy.  The  following  rela- 

tion  will  probably  lead  to  principles  by  which  we  may 

ainve  at  a  solution.  ' 

There  was  once  a  King  in  the  East,  whose  empire 
extended  over  the  known  world,  and  his  dominion 
w“  the  .end  of  the  earth.”  During  the  former 
pan  of  his  reign,  his  heart  was  filled  with  pride-  he 
knew  not  the  God  of  heaven  :  and  he  viewed  with  the 
rniost  indifference  the  nations  over  whom  he  ruled 
worshipping  idols  of  wood  and  stone.  But  it  pleased 
he  King  of  kings  to  dethrone  this  haughty  mS 
o  cast  him  down  from  his  high  estate,  and  to  abase 
him  m  the  dust.  And  after  he  had  been  for  a  time  in 

bled  cTde  UfflT°n’  aiKi  his  Proud  heart  was  hum- 
bKd,  God  graciously  revealed  himself  to  him  in  his 

■  ue  name  and  character,  and  then  restored  him  to  his 

former  prosperity  and  power.  The  peniten  H,! 

unis  once  more  exalted,  and  filled  with  admiration’ 

issued  an  edict  to°tl  ^  TRUE  God’  immediately 

issued  an  edict  to  the  whole  world,  setting  forth  thl 

greatness  of  the  Most  High,  asserting  history  and 

lkVtjHf  a  natlons  to  “  Praise  ancl  magnify  HIM*  tint 
liveth  for  ever,  whose  dominion  is  an  everlasting  do 

Son0”’  Thi  1IS  1Ungd??1  is.from  Sener^tion  to  gener- 
terms  :  memorable  edict  began  in  these  sublime 

K‘‘fEBDCHADmzAR  the  King,  unto  all  peoplf 

“V**  ,LANGUA?ES>  THAT  dwell  in  all  the 
h>  leacebe  multiplied  unto  you,  I  thought  it 


176 


CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES. 


good  to  shew  the  signs  and  wonders  which  the  Most 
High  God  hath  wrought  toward  me.  How  great  are 
his  signs  !  How  mighty  are  his  wonders  !”  Hav¬ 
ing  recounted  the  judgment  and  mercy  of  God  to  him¬ 
self,  he  thus  concludes  ;  M  Now  I  Nebuchadnezzar, 
praise  and  extol  and  honor  the  King  of  Heaven,  all 
whose  works  are  truth  and  his  ways  judgment ;  and 
them  that  walk  in  pride  he  is  able  to  abase.”* 

Such  a  proclamation  to  the  nations  of  the  earth 
was  a  noble  act  of  a  king,  and  ought  to  be  had  in  per¬ 
petual  remembrance.  It  reminds  us  of  the  last  charge 
of  HIM  “  who  ascended  up  on  high  Go,  teach  all 
nations.  It  discovers  to  us  the  new  and  extended 
benevolence,  greatness  of  mind,  and  pure  and  heaven¬ 
ly  Charity  ;  which  distinguish  that  man,  whose  heart 
has  been  impressed  by  the  grace  of  God.  How 
solemn  his  sense  of  duty  1  How  ardent  to  declare  the 
glory  of  his  Saviour  !  His  view's  for  the  good  of  men, 
how  disinterested  and  enlarged  !  It  is  but  too  evident, 
that  all  our  speculations  concerning  a  Divine  Revela¬ 
tion,  and  the  obligation  imposed  on  us  to  study  it 
ourselves,  or  to  communicate  it  to  others,  are  cold  and 
uninteresting,  and  excite  not  to  action,  “  until,  through 
the  tender  compassion  of  God,  the  Day-spring  from 
on  high  visit  us,  to  give  light  to  them  that  sit  in  dark¬ 
ness  ;f  to  humble  our  hearts,  at  the  remembrance  of 
our  sins  against  God,  and  to  affect  them  with  a  just  ad¬ 
miration  of  his  pardoning  mercy. 

Let  Great  Britain  imitate  the  example  of  the  Chal¬ 
dean  King  ;  and  send  forth  to  all  the  world,  her  tes¬ 
timony  concerning  the  True  God.  She  also  reigns 
over  many  nations  which  “  worship  idols  of  wood  and 
stone  and  she  ought,  in  like  manner,  to  declare  to 
them  “  the  signs  and  wonders  of  the  Almighty.” 
And,  in  this  design  every  individual  will  concur,  of 
every  church,  family,  and  name,  whose  heart  has  been 
penetrated  with  just  apprehensions  of  the  Most  High 
God;  having  known  his  judgments  and  experienced 
his  mercy. 

Kirby -I Jail,  B  or  nigh  bridge, 

Feb  15,  1811. 

*  Daniel,  4lh  chapter. 


f  Luke  ii.  79- 


MEMOIR 

OF  THE  EXPEDIENCY  OF 

Aff  ECCLESIASTICAL  establishment 

FOR 


BRITISH  INDIA. 


" 


-  " 


. 


i 


■ 


r*‘  *  ■  • 


* 


: 


PREFACE 


TO  THE 

EIRST  AMERICAN  EDITION. 

thJ  tUM  °f  th-S  Work  might  Iead  one  t0  suppose, 
.  'f,  -  C  Cor?tain  nothing,  but  what  should  have  an 

irrrga^  t0  an  eccl.esiastical  Establishment  far 
s  i  India.  On  examination,  however,  it  will  be  found 
to  contain  such  important  and  well  authenticated  facts 

Don^f tt-hiSt0ryand  Present  state  of  that  conn-’ 
Population,  manners,  and  customs  ;  to  its  lit- 
andlaws;  and  to  its  religious  rites  and  cere¬ 
monies ;  as  furnish  much  entertainment  and  instruction" 
Separately  from  all  consideration  of  the  question 
pec  ting  the  expediency  of  the  proposed  Establishment 
it  is,  both  in  a  literary  and  religious  point  of  view,  a  ve  ’ 

Church1  Fst  n°"'  1  hC  ar£uments  here  adduced  for  a 

Cliuich  Establishment  will,  probably,  be  thought  br 

many,  if  not  most  readers,  conclusive.  There  Iseem* 

an  increasing  conviction,  in  England,  of  the  expediency 

of  this  measure.  A  late  English  writer,  havinrauote  J 

some  interesting  passages  from  a  chapter  of  tins  Me 

"mL°-’Dand  «CaHr  AN'Hh0mn  he  ^  “a"  exce£ 

«  swerablean,T^0fiSel'V'S,  ^appealls  'unin- 

:  rrd\c 

«  chuich.”.  W1“  hardl)r  be  d0“  "*hout  a  visible 
But  we  leave  this  question  to  the  proper  iudo-pc 

the  suyechaUHs 

tea  is  co-operaung  with  Europe  in  this  benevolent  a„d 
Quarterly  Review. 


PREFACE. 


pious  design.  Contributions  have  been  forwarded  from 
this  country  to  India,  towards  procuring  translations  of 
the  Scriptures  into  the  languages  of  the  East ;  and 
some  of  our  young  men  have  already  devoted  themselves 
to  the  Indian  Mission.  The  present  publication,  it  is 
believed,  will  be  seasonable  and  useful. 

This  work  is  now  printed,  for  the  first  time  in  Amer¬ 
ica,  from  a  splendid  English  copy,  in  quarto  (the  only 
one  that  is  known  to  be  in  this  country,)  which  was 
sent  by  a  gentleman  in  England  to  a  worthy  minister  in 
this  State,  who  obligingly  lent  it  for  republication. 
From  this  copy  no  alteration  is  made,  excepting  what 
will  be  found  in  the  additional  Notes ,  which  are  always 
distinguished  by  the  signature  of  the 

American  Editor. 

Cambridge  (Mass.)  Feb.  1811. 


TO  THE 


MOST  REVEREND  FATHER  IN  €OD, 

JOHN, 

LORD  ARCHBISHOP  OF  CANTERBURY* 

my  lord, 

JT  is  'yith  propriety  that  a  work,  embracing  such 
shinier  ^h0Se.Pr,0feSSed  b>'the  Allowing  M°e„  or 

Eng/at,  ”SCrlbed  “  “ie  Primate  “f  thegCtoTof 

An  appeal  to  the  nation  is  certainly  intended  ■  hot 
that  appeal  would  not  have  been  thus  made  with  >  t 

S*  o^r  C  It°has 

of  learning  the  oDininnc  *1  me  conduct,  and 

There  are  attached  to  the  collegTS  Im!,'8™1  "ativcs- 
of  one  hundred  learned  men,  who  have  drr SvTd 
ferent  parts  of  India,  Persia,  and  Arabia  Tn \  (‘lf‘ 

semblage,  the  manners  and  customs  of  vemnt  h  a“  &S' 
are  distinctly  described;  and 

^  m°stRev- 

Q 


DEDICATION. 


religious  and  political,  may  be  accurately  investigated 
and  compared. 

Of  the  learned  Hindoos  who  have  been  employed  as 
teachers,  there  were  lately  two  from  the  Deccan,  who 
profess  the  Christian  faith  ;  and  comport  themselves  ac¬ 
cording  to  Christian  manners.  Two  Protestant  mission- 
aries  have  also  been  attached  to  the  institution  ;  one  of 
whom  is  lecturer  in  the  Bengalee  and  Shanscrit  depart¬ 
ment;  and  has  been  for  many  years  employed  in  preach¬ 
ing  in  the  Bengalee  language  to  the  natives  in  the  north 
ofHindostan.  The  other  is  a  teacher  of  the  Tamul  or 
Malabar  language  ;  and  has  been  long  attached  to  a  mis¬ 
sion  in  the  south  of  the  Peninsula. 

More  desirable  means  of  obtaining  accurate  and  ori¬ 
ginal  intelligence  could  not  have  been  presented  to  any 
one,  -who  wished  to  investigate  the  state  of  the  natives 
of  India,  with  a  view  to  their  moral  and  religious  im¬ 
provement. 

It  was  the  authenticity  of  this  information,  which 
chiefly  prompted  me  to  record  it  in  this  Memoir.  I 
should  however  have  hesitated  to  submit  it  to  the  pub¬ 
lic,  had  I  not  been  honoured  with  a  communication 
from  the  Bishop  of  London,  who  expresses  his  “  convic- 
“  tion  of  the  indispensible  necessity  of  a  religious  es- 
“  tablishment  for  our  Indian  Empire.” 

II.  In  the  presence  of  the  learned  body  of  Asiatics  as¬ 
sembled  at  the  College  of  Fort-William,  the  Chi'istian 
Scriptures  have  been  exhibited  for  translation  into  the 
Oriental  tongues. 

When  Ptolemy  Philadelphus,  three  hundred  years  be¬ 
fore  the  Christian  aera,  invited  to  Alexandria  in  Egypt, 
seventy -two  learned  natives  of  Judea,  to  translate  the 
Scriptures  into  the  Greek  language,*  he  could  not  have 
foreseen  that  his  translation  was  divinely  intended  to  be 
the  means  of  the  world’s  civilization,  by  diffusing  the 
knowledge  of  the  true  God  ;  or  that  the  Messiah  prom¬ 
ised  therein,  would  in  a  future  age  quote  its  language,  as 
the  canonical  version  of  the  sacred  original. 

This  illustrious  act  of  an  heathen  Prince,  acknowled¬ 
ged,  as  it  has  been,  by  heaven,  and  celebrated  among 

*  The  expense  of  which  is  computed  by  Prideaux  to  have  a* 
mounted  to  two  millions  sterling. 


DEDICATION. 


men,  has  yet  been  rarely  proposed  by  Christian  nations, 
as  an  example  for  their  imitation. 

Under  the  auspices  of  Marquis  Wellesley,  who,  bv 
favour  of  Providence,  now  presides  in  the  government  of 
Intua,  a  version  of  the  holy  Scriptures  may  be  expected, 
not  in  one  language  alone,  but  in  seven  of  the  Oriental 
tongues;  in  the  Hindostanee,  Persian,  Chinese,  and 
Malay ;  Orissa,  Mahratta,  and  Bengalese  ;  of  which  the 
oiu  ioi  mer  are  the  primary  and  popular  languages  of  the 
Continent  and  Isles  of  Asia. 

In  the  centre  of  the  Pagan  world,  and  at  the  chief  seat 
ot  superstition  and  idolatry,  these  works  are  carried  on  : 
and  the  unconverted  natives  assist  in  the  translations, 
lhe  Gospels  have  already  been  translated  into  the  Per¬ 
sian,  Hindostanee,  Mahratta,  Orissa,  and  Malay  langua- 
g-es;  and  the  whole  Scriptures  have  been  translated  in- 
to  the  Bengalee  language.  One  edition  of  the  Bengalee 
Bible  has  been  distributed  among  the  natives  ;  and  a  sec¬ 
ond  is  in  the  press  fqr  their  use.  A  version  of  the  Scrip¬ 
tures  in  the  Chinese  language  (the  language  of  three 
hundred  millions  of  men)  has  also  been  undertaken  • 
ana  a  portion  of  the  work  is  already  printed  off.* 

III.  I  he  publication  of  an  important  part  of  this  Me¬ 
moir  was  suggested  by  the  perusal  of  certain  letters,  ad¬ 
dressed  by  a  King  of  England  to  the  Christian  instruc- 

fft  ]ieiH,!nd°OS'  •  In  the  foll°wing  pages  your  Grace 
Jill  find  letters  written  by  King  George  the  First,  to 
Piotestant  missionaries  in  India;  in  which  his  Majestv 
tirges  them  to  a  zealous  and  faithful  discharge  of  their 
ministry,  that  they  may  lay  a  foundation  for  the  civiliza- 
tmn  of  the  nations  of  Asia  ;  and  “  that  the  work  may 
not  tail  in  generations  to  come.” 

YV  hen  I  first  saw  these  royal  epistles,  and  reflected  on 
le  period  oi  time  at  which  they  were  written,  and  the 
circumstances  of  the  people  to  whom  they  were  addres- 
ed,  I  perused  them  with  emotions  of  reverence  and  ad- 
mn-ation.  YV  hen  further  I  had  called  to  mind  the  hap¬ 
py  effects  they  had  contributed  to  produce,  in  enlight- 
eninga  region  ot  Paganism  not  less  in  extent  than  Great 
itain,  it  seemed  to  me,  that  a  circumstance  so  honor- 


*  See  Appendix  M. 


DEDICATION. 


able  to  our  country  ought  not  to  be  concealed,  and 
that  the  Hindoos  ought  to  send  back  these  letters  to 
the  English  nation. 

Another  letter  accompanies  them,  of  equal  celebrity 
in  India,  written  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  in  the 
reign  of  the  same  Prince.  This  letter,  often  since  re¬ 
corded  in  Oriental  tongues,  is  sent  back  by  the  evangel¬ 
ized  Hindoos  to  your  Grace,  and  to  the  c<  Society  of 
“  Bishops  and  Clergy  for  promoting  Christian  Knowl- 
“  edge,”  as  a  record  of  the  honorable  zeal  which  at  so 
early  a  period  distinguished  that  illustrious  body  ;  and 
as  a  proof,  that  when  the  appointed  means  are  used,  the 
blessing  of  God  will  follow.  “  Behold,”  say  the  Hin¬ 
doos,  “  the  divine  answer  to  the  prayer  in  that  letter! 
“  Behold  the  fruit  of  your  rational  endeavours  for  our 
“  conversion  !  Our  dark  region  having  enjoyed,  during 
“  the  period  of  a  whole  century,  the  clear  and  steady 
H  light  of  your  Society,  has  now  become  itself  the 
“  source  of  knowledge  to  the  surrounding  heathen.” 

IV.  Our  present  most  gracious  Sovereign,  who  has 
reigned,  for  so  many  years,  in  the  hearts  and  affections 
of  his  subjects,  both  in  Britain  and  in  India;  and  who, 
by  strengthening  the  bands  of  true  religion  in  a  dissolute 
and  unbelieving  age,  has  exhibited  so  perfect  an  example 
of  the  duty,  conduct,  and  glory  of  a  Christian  King,  will 
doubtless  receive  with  satisfaction,  from  the  hands  ofthe 
Hindoos,  these  letters  of  his  illustrious  predecessor;  and 
having  perused  the  testimonies  of  the  divine  blessing  on 
the  righteous  and  kingly  work,  will  finish  what  has  been 
so  auspiciously  begun,  by  making  a  religious  Estab¬ 
lishment  for  his  Eastern  Empire,  the  crowning  act  of 
his  own  most  glorious  reign. 

To  their  Sovereign  they  look;  to  Him,  the  su¬ 
preme  head  of  the  Church,  his  Indian  subjects  look, 
for  those  religious  blessings,  which,  by  the  divine  fa¬ 
vour,  are  in  his  right  hand  to  bestow. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  my  Lord, 

Your  Grace’s  most  faithful  and  devoted  servant, 

CLAUD.  BUCHANAN. 

Calcutta ,  March  12,  1805. 


INTRODUCTION 


TO 

MEMOIR. 


By  the  reduction  of  the  Mysorean  and  Maliratta  em- 
pu'es,  the  greater  part  of  India  falls  under  the  dominion 
or  influence  of  the  British  Government,  and  looks  sub¬ 
missively  for  British  civilization.  Bv  this  event  also 
m  connexion  with  the  other  late  cessions  and  con¬ 
quests,  the  number  of  British  subjects  in  India  will  be 
very  considerably  increased. 

Were  we  in  the  vicinity  of  Britain,  the  British 

Parliament  would  not  withhold  from  us  any  beneficial 

aid  it  could  afford,  and  we  should  enjoy  religious  advan¬ 
tages  m  common  with  our  countrymen  at  home.  But 

tnese  advantages  have  been  hitherto  denied,  because  we 
are  remote.  An  annual  account  of  the  revenual  state  of 
India,  or  the  occurrence  of  some  splendid  event,  engages 
the  attention  fora  time  ;  but  the  ordinary  circumstances 
of  the  people,  European  and  native,  are  not  always  in 
mcw;  and  any  casual  or  indistinct  notice  of  their  situa- 
tion,  fails  to  excite  those  national  sentiments  of  human¬ 
ity  and  Christian  duty,  which,  in  other  circumstances, 
would  be  constantly  alive  and  efficient. 

It  may  be  presumed  that  India  has  of  late  occupied 
more  of  the  public  attention  than  formerly,  and  that  the 
minds  of  men  are  gradually  converging  to  the  consid¬ 
eration  oi  the  subject  of  this  Memoir.  Our  extensive 
territorial  acquisitions  within  the  last  few  years  our 
recent  triumph  over  our  only  formidable  foe  •  the 
avowed  consequence  of  India  in  relation  to  the  existing 
state  of  Europe  ;  and  that  unexampled  and  systematic 
prosperity  of  Indian  administration,  which  has  now  con¬ 
st  2 


INTRODUCTION. 


solidated  the  British  dominion  in  this  country  ; — every 
character  of  our  situation  seems  to  mark  the  present 
sera,  as  that  intended  by  Providence,  for  our  taking  into 
consideration  the  moral  and  religious  state  of  our  sub¬ 
jects  in  the  East ;  and  for  Britain’s  bringing  up  her 
long  arrear  of  duty,  and  settling  her  account  honorably 
with  her  Indian  Empire. 

The  perpetuity  of  the  Christian  faith  among  Euro¬ 
peans  in  India,  and  the  civilization  of  the  natives,  must 
rest  equally  on  a  foundation  which,  as  yet,  we  have 
not ;  and  that  is,  an  Ecclesiastical  Establishment.  The 
first  part  of  this  Memoir  shall  be  wholly  confined  to  a 
consideration  of  the  means  of  preserving  the  Christian 
religion  among  our  own  countrymen. 


MEMOIR,  &c. 


PART  I. 


ON  THE  MEANS  OF  PRESERVING  THE  PROFESSION  OF 
THE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION  AMONG  OUR  COUNTRY¬ 
MEN  IN  INDIA. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Present  state  of  the  English  church  in  India. 

*'  T he  present  establishment  of  English  chaplains 
for  the  British  empire  in  India,  is  not  much  greater  than 
the  factorial  establishment  in  the  time  of  Lord  Clive. 

2.  There  are  six  military  chaplains  for  Bengal,  Bahar, 
Oude,  the  Dooab,  and  Orissa.  There  are  three  chap¬ 
lains  in  the  town  of  Calcutta,  five  at  the  Presidency  of 
Madras,  and  four  at  the  Presidency  of  Bombay.  Nor 
is  that  list  ever  full.  Two-thirds  of  the  number  is  the 
average  for  the  last  ten  years. 

o.  Some  islands  in  the  W est  Indies  have  a  more  reg¬ 
ular  church  establishment,  and  more  extensive  Chris¬ 
tian  advantages  than  the  British  empire  in  the  East. 
Jamaica  has  eighteen  churches ;  English  India  has 
three  ;  one  at  Calcutta,  one  at  Madras,  and  one  at  Bom¬ 
bay. 

4.  At  the  establishment  of  Bencoolen,  at  the  factory 
at  Canton,  at  the  flourishing  settlement  of  Prince  of 
TV  ales  s  Island,  at  Malacca,  at  Amboyna,  and  at  the 
other  islands  to  the  eastward  now  in  our  possession, 
there  is  not  a  single  clergyman  of  the  English  church, 
to  perform  the  rite  of  Baptism,  or  to  celebrate  any  other 
Christian  office.  The  two  British  armies  in  Iiindos- 


188 


MEMOIR. 


tan,  and  in  the  Dekhan,  lately  in  the  field,  had  not  one 
chaplain. 

5  The  want  of  an  ecclesiastical  establishment  has 
-produced  a  system,  not  only  of  extreme  irregularity  in 
the  discipline  of  our  church,  but  of  positive  offence 
against  Christian  institution.  Marriages,  burials,  and 
sometimes  baptisms,  by  the  civil  magistrate  or  by  a 
military  officer,  are  not  only  performed,  but  are  in  a 
manner  sanctioned  by  a  precedent  of  thirty  years. 

6.  And  as  to  the  state  of  religion  among  the  people 
who  have  no  divine  service,  it  is  such  as  might  be  ex¬ 
pected.  After  a  residence  for  some  years  at  a  station 
where  there  is  no  visible  church  ;  and  where  the  super¬ 
stitions  of  the  natives  are  constantly  visible,  all  respect 
for  Christian  institutions  wears  away  ;  and  the  Chris¬ 
tian  Sabbath  is  no  otherwise  distinguished  than  by  the 
display  of  the  British  flag. 

7.  Were  we,  on  the  other  hand,  to  state  particular¬ 
ly  the  regard  paid  by  our  countrymen  to  Christian  in¬ 
struction,  wherever  it  is  regularly  afforded,  it  would  be 
an  additional  argument  for  granting  the  means  of  afford¬ 
ing  it.  Wherever  the  Christian  minister  solicits  at¬ 
tention,  he  finds  an  audience.  In  whatever  part  of  Brit¬ 
ish  India  he  is  stationed,  there  will  be  a  disposition  to 
respect  the  religion  of  early  life,  when  its  public  ordi¬ 
nances  shall  have  been  revived. 

CHAPTER  II. 

Of  the  establishment  of  the  Romish  Church  in  the  East. 

There  are  three  archbishops  and  seventeen  bishops 
of  the  Romish  church  established  in  the  East.  The 
natives  naturally  suppose  that  no  such  dignity  belongs 
to  the  English  church.  In  Bengal  alone  there  are  eight 
Romish  churches ;  four  Armenian  churches  ;  and  two 
Greek  churches.  In  confirmation  of  this  statement,  we 
6hall  subjoin  an  authentic  Report  of  the  Roman  Catho¬ 
lic  establishments,  which  has  been  transmitted  by  the 
Archbishop  of  Goa. 


MEMOIR. 


189 


Establishment  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  in  the  East. 


Archbishop  of  Goa,  Metropolitan  and 
Primate  of  the  Orient 
Ai  chbishop  of  Cranganore  in  Malabar 
Bishop  of  Cochin,  Malabar 
Bishop  of  St.  Thomas,  at  Madras.* 
His  diocese  includes  Calcutta; 
where  he  has  a  legate 
Bishop  of  Malacca 
Bishop  of  Macao  - 

Bishop  of  Pekin  - 

Two  Bishops  in  the  interior  of  China 
Bishop  of  Mozambique 

Eishop  of  Siam  i 

Bishop  of  Pegu  c 

Bishop  of  Varapoli,  Malabar  -  ^ 

Bishop  of  Bombay  -  _  . 

Bishop  of  Thibet  - 
Prefect  of  the  Romish  Mission  at 
Nepaulf  - 

One  archbishop  and  three  bishops  at  } 
Manilla,  and  the  Philippine  islands  £ 


^Presented  by  the 
King  of  Portugal. 


Bishop  of  Pondicherry.  Vacant 


} 


Presented  by  the 
Pope. 

Presented  bythe 
College,  De  Pro¬ 
paganda  Fide. 

Presented  bythe 
King  of  Spain. 

Presented  by  the 
late  King  of 
France. 


Churches  in  Bengal ,  and  number  of  Priests  attached  to 

each. 


Church  at  Calcutta 
Church  at  Serampore 
Church  at  Chinsurah 
Church  at  Bandel 


Three  priest 

-  One  priest. 
One  priest. 

-  Three  priest 


roissi?naries,  Bartholomew  Ziegenbalgius  and 
John  Ernest  Grundler,  in  a  Letter  to  the  Society  in  England  for 
Promotmg  Christian  Knwledge,  dated  “  Tranquebar,  January' 9, 
171o,  observe,  “  The  Roman  M.ssionaries  themselves  confes. 

sisTed  of  /“S  f  Mf?dras'  ,that  thkeir  Congregation  in  that  place  con- 
sisted  or  twelve  thousand  members.’  Amer.  Ed~\  1 

t  See  Paper  by  him  in  Asiatic  Researches,  Yol.  IL 


190 


MEMOIR. 


Church  at  Cossimbazar  -  One  priest. 

Three  Churches  at  Chittagong  -  -  Three  priests. 

Church  at  Backergunge  -  -  One  Priest. 

Church  at  Bowai  -  One  Priest. 


Armenian  Churches. 


Church  at  Calcutta 
Church  at  Chinsurah 
Church  at  Decca 
Church  at  Sydabad 
Church  at  Madras  - 
Church  at  Bombay 
Church  at  Surat  - 


Three  priests. 

One  priest. 

Two  priests. 

One  priest. 

Three  priests. 

One  bishop  and  a  priest. 
Two  priests. 


Greek  Churches. 

Church  at  Calcutta  -  Three  priests. 

Chapel  at  Decca  -  One  priest. 


1.  The  above  establishments  are  at  present  full  with 
the  exception  of  the  bishopric  of  Pondicherry,  which 
was  formerly  presented  by  the  King  of  Fiance  ;  and 
it  is  stated  that  the  revenues  are  the  same  granted  at 
the  first  endowment,  with  some  exceptions  of  increase. 

2.  On  a  view  of  the  ancient  and  respectable  establish¬ 
ment  of  the  Romish  church,  we  naturally  desire  to  know 
its  present  character,  and  whether  it  can  boast  of  a  re¬ 
ligious  or  civilizing  efficiency. 

The  Romish  church  in  India  is  coeval  with  the  Span¬ 
ish  and  Portuguese  empires  in  the  East :  and  though 
both  empires  are  now  in  ruins,  the  church  remains.  Sa¬ 
cred  property  has  been  respected  in  the  different  revo¬ 
lutions  ;  for  it  is  agreeable  to  Asiatic  principle  to  rev¬ 
erence  religious  institutions.  The  revenues  are  in 
general  small,  as  is  the  case  in  the  Roman  Catholic 
countries  at  home  ;  but  the  priests  live  every  where  in 
respectable  or  decent  circumstances.  Divine  service 
is  regularly  performed,  and  the  churches  are  generally 
well  attended  ;  ecclesiastical  discipline  is  preserved;  the 
canonical  European  ceremonies  are  retained  ;  and  the 
benefactions  of  the  people  are  liberal.  It  has  been  ©b- 


MEMOIR. 


191 


served  that  the  Roman  Catholics  in  India  yield  less  to 
the  luxury  of  the  country,  and  suffer  less  from  the  cli¬ 
mate  than  the  English  :  owing  it  may  be  supposed,  to 
them  youth  being  surrounded  by  the  same  religious  es¬ 
tablishments  they  had  at  home,  and  to  their  being  still 
subject  to  the  observation  and  counsel  of  religious  char¬ 
acters,  whom  they  are  taught  to  reverence. 

3.  Besides  the  regular  churches  there  are  numerous 
Romish  missions  established  throughout  Asia.  But  the 
zeal  of  conversion  has  not  been  known  during  the  last 
century.  The  missionaries  are  now  generally  stationa¬ 
ry  :  respected  by  the  natives  for  their  learning  and 
medical  knowledge,  and  in  general  for  their  pure  man 
ners,  they  ensure  to  themselves  a  comfortable  subsist 
ence,  and  are  enabled  to  show  hospitality  to  strangers 

4.  On  a  general  view  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church 
we  must  certainly  acknowledge,  that,  besides  its  princi¬ 
pal  design  m  preserving  the  faith  of  its  own  members 
it  posse  sses  a  civilizing  influence  in  Asia  ;  and  that  not¬ 
withstanding  its  constitutional  asperity,  intolerant  and 
repulsive,  compared  with  the  generous  principles  of  the 
Protestant  religion,  it  has  dispelled  much  of  the  dark¬ 
ness  of  Paganism. 

—O4o — 


CHAPTER  III. 

Of  the  extent  of  the  proposed  Ecclesiastical  Establish¬ 
ment  for  British  India . 


A  recular  Ecclesiastical  Establishment  for  Brit¬ 
ish  India  may  be  organized  without  difficulty.  Two 
bishops  might  suffice,  if  India  were  less  remote  from 
-britam  :  but  the  inconvenience  resulting  from  sudden 
demise,  and  from  the  long  interval  of  succession  from 
England,  renders  it  necessary  that  there  should  be  three 
or  more  men  of  episcopal  dignity  ;  an  archbishop  and- 
metropolitan  of  India,  to  preside  at  the  seat  of  the  su 
premc  government  in  Bengal ;  and  one  bishop  at  each 
,  the  two  subordinate  presidencies,  Madras  and  Bom¬ 
bay.  These  three  dioceses  should  embrace  respect- 


MEMOIR. 


192 

ively  all  our  continental  possessions  in  the  East.  To 
these  must  be  added  a  bishopric  for  Ceylon,  to  com¬ 
prehend  all  the  adjacent  islands,  and  also  New  Holland 
and  the  islands  in  the  Pacific  Ocean.  The  number  of 
rectors  and  curates  in  each  diocese  must  be  regulated 
by  the  number  of  military  stations,  and  of  towns  and 
islands  containing  European  inhabitants  :  with  an  es¬ 
pecial  attention  to  this  circumstance,  that  provision  may 
be  made  for  keepingthe  establishment/^//,  without  con¬ 
stant  reference  to  England.  The  necessity  of  such  pro¬ 
vision  will  be  illustrated  by  the  following  fact:  In  Ben¬ 
gal  and  the  adjacent  provinces  there  is  at  present  an  es¬ 
tablishment  of  six  military  chaplains  ;  but  that  number 
is  sometimes  deduced  one  half.  When  a  chaplain  dies 
or  goes  home,  his  successor  does  not  arrive,  in  most  ca¬ 
ses,  till  two  years  afterwards. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Considerations  deduced  from  the  propriety  or  necessity 
of  an  ecclesiastical  establisfnnent. 

1.  Has  it  ever  been  fully  considered  on  what  ground 
a  religious  establishment  has  been  given  to  all  the  other 
dependencies  of  Great  Britain,  and  denied  to  India  ?  It 
might  be  deemed  as  sacred  a  duty  of  the  mother  coun¬ 
try  to  support  Christian  institutions  among  us,  as  among 
the  English  in  the  West  Indies;  and  particularly  in 
Canada  and  Nova-Scotia,  both  of  which  provinces  are 
honoured  with  episcopal  institutions.  Our  peculiar 
situation  seems  to  give  to  us  a  yet  higher  title  to  such 
advantages.  Living  in  a  remote  and  unhealthy  country, 
amidst  a  superstitious  and  licentious  people,  where 
both  mind  and  body  are  liable  to  suffer,  we  have,  it  will 
be  allowed,  as  strong  a  claim  on  our  country  for  Chris¬ 
tian  privileges  as  any  other  description  of  British  sub¬ 
jects.  Of  the  multitude  of  our  countrymen  who  come 
out  every  year,  there  are  but  a  few  who  ever  return. 
When  they  leave  England,  they  leave  their  religion  for¬ 
ever. 


memoir. 


193 


5.  It  will  .not  be  an  objection  to  a  church  establish¬ 
ment. in  India,  that  it  has  the  semblance  of  a  Royal  in 
stitution.  Nor  is  it  probable  that  it  will  be  opposed  on 
e  Slound  of  expense.  By  the  late  cessions  and  con¬ 
quests,  provinces  have  been  added  to  our  sovereignty 
whose  annual  revenues  would  pay  the  whole  eccle°sias- 
tlCo  fstabhsbment  of  England  many  times  over. 

1  i,us  ^ie  only  country  in  the  whole  world,  civil- 
zed  or  barbarous,  where  no  tenth  is  paid;  where  no 
twentieth,  no  hundredth,  no  thousandth  part  of  its  rev 
enues  is  given  by  government,  for  the  support  of  the  rel 
ligion  of  that  government ;  and  it  is  the  only  instance  in 
the  annals  of  our  country  where  church  and  state  have 
been  dismembered.  We  seem  at  present  to  be  try 
mg  the  question,  “  Whether  religion  be  necessary  fo/a 
tate,  whether  a  remote  commercial  empire,  havine 

no  sign  of  the  Deity,  no  temple,  no  type  of  any  thing  hea? 
ven  y,  may  not  yet  maintain  its  Christian  purity,  mid  its 
po  meal  strength  amids  Pagan  superstitions,  and  a  vo¬ 
luptuous  and  unprincipled  people  ? 

*,*  ^  the  Mahometans  conquered  India,  they  in- 

Hi  C  the  Jehgl?n  °f  Mahornet  into  every  quarter  of 
Hmdostan,  where  it  exists  unto  this  day  -  Imd  they 

ofThd  SE  m  end°'vments  for  ,he  establishment 
01  then  l.inh.  The  same  country  under  our  sovereien- 

ty,  has  seen  no  institution  for  the  religion  of  Christ  b 

o.  How  peculiar  is  that  policy,  which  reckons  nn 

perpetuity  of  an  empire  in  the  East,  without  the  aid  of 

religion,  or  of  religious  men  ;  and  calculates  that  a  for- 

eign  nation,  annulling  all  sanctity  in  its  character  amn.  * 

a  people  accustomed  to  reverence  the  Deity,  will  flou,? 

L„e°rver  “  the  heart  of  Asia>  by  «  or  commerce 

from  FreSnchtinficlelitv^indTts'e-P:ll^Clda1^  the 
00  „  niuueiity  and  its  concomitant  nr  ncinlp« 

Z  lay!'SUmeT  f0r  a  .religious  establishment  in  huUa  ■ 
fbi  althougu  these  principles  have  been  felt  here  tb- 
danger  now  is  much  less  than  formerly.  Under  the 
administration  of  Marquis  Wellesley,  Frenchmen  and  ’ 
lenen  pi  inciples  have  been  subdued.  And  nothing 
w  oukl  now  so  consolidate  our  widely  extended  domi? 
or  prove  more  obnoxmus  to  the  counsels  of  our 


134 


MEMOIR. 


European  enemies  in  their  attempts  on  this  country, 
than  an  ecclesiastical  establishment ;  which  would  give 
our  empire  in  the  East  the  semblance  of  our  empire 
in  the  West,  and  support  our  English  principles,  on 
the  stable  basis  of  English  religion. 

7.  The  advantages  of  such  an  establishment,  in  re¬ 
spect  to  our  ascendency  among  the  natives,  will  be  in¬ 
calculable.  Their  constant  observation  is,  that  “  the 
English  have  no  religion  and  they  wonder  whence 
we  have  derived  our  principles  of  justice,  humanity, 
magnanimity,  and  truth.  Amidst  all  cur  conquests  in 
the  East ;  amidst  the  glory  of  our  arms  or  policy  ; 
amidst  our  brilliant  display  of  just  and  generous  quali¬ 
ties,  the  Englishman  is  still  in  their  eyes  “  the  Cafir 
that  is,  the  Infidel. 

8.  The  Scriptures  have  been  lately  translated  into 
some  of  the  vernacular  languages  of  India.  The  na¬ 
tives  read  these  scriptures,  and  there  they  find  the 
principles  of  the  English.  “  But  if  these  Scriptures 
be  true,”  say  they,  “  where  is  your  church  ?”  We  an¬ 
swer  “  at  home.”  They  shake  the  head,  and  say  that 
something  must  be  wrong  ;  and  that  although  there  are 
good  principles  in  our  holy  book,  they  might  expect 
something  more  than  internal  evidence,  if  we  would 
wish  them  to  believe  that  it  is  from  God  ;  or  even  that 
\ve  think  so  ourselves. 

CHAPTER  V. 

Objections  to  an  ecclesiastical  establishment  considered. 

“  Is  an  ecclesiastical  establishment  necessary  ?  Our 
«  commercial  Indian  empire  has  done  hitherto  with¬ 
out  it.” 

1.  Perhaps  the  character  of  our  Indian  empire  has 
suffered  by  the  want  of  a  religious  establishment. 
From  whatever  cause  it  proceeded,  we  know  that  the 
moral  principles  of  our  countrymen  were,  for  many 
years,  in  a  state  of  public  trial  before  the  tribunal  of 
Europe,  in  relation  to  this  commercial  empire  ;  and 
that  Indian  immorality  wras  for  a  time  proverbial. 


MEMOIR. 


195 

i  2-  It  was  observed,  in  extenuation,  at  that  period, 
tiiat  the  case  would  have  been  the  same  with  any  other 
nation  in  our  peculiar  circumstances  ;  that  India  was 
remote  from  national  observation ;  and  that  seduce- 
ments  were  powerful  and  numerous.  All  this  was  true. 
And  yet  we  are  the  only  nation  in  Europe  having  do¬ 
minions  in  the  East,  which  being  aware  of  these  evils, 
declined  to  adopt  any  religious  precaution  to  prevent 
them.  _  What  then  was  to  be  looked  for  in  a  remote  and 
extensive  empire,  administered  in  all  its  parts  by  men, 
who  came  out  boys,  without  the  plenitude  of  instruc¬ 
tion  of  English  youth  in  learning,  morals,  or  religion  ; 
and  who  were  let  loose  on  their  arrival  amidst  native 
licentiousness,  and  educated  amidst  conflicting-  super¬ 
stitions  ? 

3.  Since  that  period  the  honor  of  the  nation  has 
been  redeemed,  and  its  principles  have  been  asserted 
m  a  dignified  manner.  An  amelioration  in  the  service, 
equally  acknowledged  in  the  character  and  prosperity 
of  our  empire,  has  auspiciously  commenced,  and  is 
rapidly  progressive. 

4.  But  perhaps  an  objection  will  be  founded  on  this 
acknowledged  improvement.  If  so  much,  it  will  be 
said,  can  be  done  by  wise  administration  and  by  civil 
institution,  without  a  church,  may  we  not  expect  that 
the  empire  will  for  the  future  be  propitiously  adminis¬ 
tered,  and  flourish  in  progression,  without  the  aid  of  a 
religious  institution  ? 

In  answer  to  such  an  observation,  we  might  ask, 
what  it  would  avail  the  English  nation  that  it  were 
swayed  oy  the  ablest  policy  for  the  next  ten  years,  if 
during  that  period,  youth  were  denied  the  advantages 
oi  lehgious  instruction,  and  the  national  church  were 
abolished  .  Peculiar  as  is  the  administration  of  India 
as  subject  to  Britain,  no  comparison  can  be  instituted 
between  its  present  consolidated  empire,  and  its  for¬ 
mer  factorial  state  ;  or  between  what  was  tolerable  a 
sew  years  ago,  and  what  is  expedient  now. 

5.  It  cannot  be  justly  objected  to  an  ecclesiastical 
establishment  m  India,  that  it  will  promote  coloniza¬ 
tion.  It  will  probably  have  a  contrary  effect. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  indeed  that  the  clergy  themselves 


196 


MEMOIR. 


Avill  remain  in  the  country  to  an  old  age,  in  order  that 
they  may  acquire  the  reverence  of  fathers,  and  that 
their  pious  services  may  not  be  withdrawn,  when  those 
services  shall  have  become  the  most  valuable  and  en>- 
dearing  to  their  people.  But  it  may  be  expected  that 
the  effect  of  their  Christian  counsel,  will  accelerate  the 
return  of  others;  by  saving  young  persons  from  that 
course  of  life,  which  is  so  often  destructive  to  health 
and  fortune. 

6.  What  is  it  which  confines  so  many  in  this  remote 
country,  to  so  late  a  period  of  life  ?  The  want  of  faith¬ 
ful  instructors  in  their  youth.  What  is  if  which  induces 
that  despondent  and  indolent  habit  of  mind,  which  con¬ 
templates  home  without  affection,  and  yet  expects  here 
no  happiness  ?  It  is  the  want  of  counsellors  in  situa¬ 
tions  of  authority,  to  save  them  from  debt,  on  their  ar¬ 
rival  in  the  country  ;  and  to  guard  them  against  that  il¬ 
licit  native  connexion,  (not  less  injurious,  it  has  been 
said,  to  the  understanding  than  to  the  affections,)  which 
the  long  absence  of  religion  from  this  service  has  al¬ 
most  rendered  not  disreputable. 

7.  Of  what  infinite  importance  it  is  to  the  state,  that 
the  Christian  Sabbath  should  be  observed  by  our  coun¬ 
trymen  here,  and  that  this  prime  safeguard  of  loyal,  as 
well  as  of  religious  principles,  should  be  maintained 
in  this  remote  empire.  But  how  shall  the  Sabbath  be 
observed,  if  there  be  no  ministers  of  religion  ?  For 
want  of  divine  service,  Europeans  in  general,  instead 
of  keeping  the  Sabbath  holy,  profane  it  openly.  The 
Hindoo  works  on  that  day,  and  the  Englishman  works 
with  him.  The  only  days  on  which  the  Englishman 
works  not,  are  the  Hindoo  holidays  :  for  on  these  days, 
the  Hindoo  will  not  work  with  him.  The  annual  in¬ 
vestment  sent  to  England,  particularly  that  belonging 
to  individuals,  has  this  fiecuUar  to  it,  considered  as  be¬ 
ing  under  the  law  of  Christian  commerce,  that  it  is, 
in  part,  the  produce  of  Sunday  labor  by  Christian 
hands. 

8.  Does  it  not  appear  a  proper  thing  to  wise  and 
good  men  in  England,  (for  after  a  long  residence  in 
India,  we  sometimes  lose  sight  of  what  is  accounted 
proper  at  home,)  does  it  not  seem  proper,  when  a 


MEMOIE. 


197 


thousand  British  soldiers  are  assembled  at  a  remote  sta¬ 
tion  in  the  heart  of  Asia,  that  the  Sabbath  of  their 
country  should  be  noticed  ?  That,  at  least,  it  should  not 
become  what  it  is,  and  ever  must  be,  where  there  is  no 
religious  restraint,  a  day  of  peculiar  profligacy  !  To  us 
it  would  appear  not  only  a  politic,  but  a  humane  act, 
m  respect  oi  these  our  countrymen,  to  hallow  the  se¬ 
venth  day.  Of  a  thousand  soldiers  in  sickly  India, 
there  will  generally  be  a  hundred,  who  are  in  a  de¬ 
clining  state  of  health  ;  who,  after  along  struggle  with 
the  climate  and  with  intemperance,  have  fallen  into  a 
rejected  and  hopeless  state  of  mind,  and  pass  their 
time  in  painful  reflection  on  their  distant  homes,  their 
aosent  families,  and  on  the  indiscretions  of  past  life  ; 
but  whose  hearts  would  revive  within  them  on  their 
entering  once  more  the  house  of  God,  and  hearing  the 
absolution  of  the  Gospel  to  the  returning  sinner.  ° 

1  he  oblivion  of  the  Sabbath  in  India,  is  that  which 
properly  constitutes  banishment  from  our  country.  The 
duel  evil  ot  our  exile  is  found  here  ;  for  this  extinct¬ 
ion  ox  the  sacred  day  tends,  more  than  any  thing  else, 
to  eradicate  from  our  minds  respect  for  the  religion 
and  affection  for  the  manners  and  institutions,  and  even 
lor  the  local  scenes,  of  early  life. 

,  9.  Happy  indeed  it  would  be,  were  it  possible  to  in¬ 
duce  a  learned  and  pious  clergy  to  colonize  in  English 
India.  I  hey  would  be  a  blessing  to  the  country.  °But 
let  us  rightly  understand  what  this  colonization  is  •  for 
the  term  seems  to  have  been  often  used  of  late  without 
a  precise  meaning.  If  to  colonize  in  India,  be  to  pass 
the  whole  ot  one’s  life  in  it,  then  do  ninety  out  of  the 
hundred  colonize  ;  for  of  the  whole  number  of  Euro¬ 
peans  who  come  out  to  India,  a  tenth  part  do  not  return 
t°.  At  what  future  period  will  a  better  opportunity 
imci  for  meliorating  the  circumstances  of  life  in  this 
country.  Shall  our  Christian  nation  wait  till  centuries 
elapse,  before  she  consider  India  otherwise  than  the 
fountain  of  luxury  for  the  mother  country ;  while  her 
sons,  in  successive  multitudes,  sink  under  the  inhos¬ 
pitable  climate,  or  perish  in  defence  of  the  empire 
denied  the  means  of  religious  instruction  and  consola¬ 
tion,  common  to  eyery  other  Christian  people  l 

R  3. 


198 


ireMore. 


11.  The  slightest  investigation,  before  a  competent 
tribunal,  of  the  state  of  our  church,  and  circumstances 
of  our  countrymen  in  India,  will  confirm  fully  the  state¬ 
ment  in  the  preceding  pages  ;  and  will  amplify  the  ne¬ 
cessity  of  the  measure  proposed  in  the  mind  of  every 
man  who  is  a  friend  to  his  country’s  honour  or  pros¬ 
perity. 

12.  It  will  be  remembered  that  nothing  which  has 
been  observed  is  intended  to  imply  that  any  peculiar 
provision  should  be  made  immediately  for  the  instruc¬ 
tion  of  the  natives.  Any  extensive  establishment  of 
this  kind,  however  becoming  our  national  character,  or 
obligatory  on  our  principles,  cannot  possibly  be  organ¬ 
ized  to  efficient  purpose,  without  the  aid  of  a  local 
church. 

13.  Let  us  first  establish  our  own  religion  among 
ourselves,  and  our  Asiatic  subjects  will  soon  benefit 
by  it.  When  once  our  national  church  shall  have  been 
confirmed  in  India,  the  members  of  that  church  will 
be  the  best  qualified  to  advise  the  state  as  to  the  means 
by  which,  from  time  to  time,  the  civilization  of  the 
natiyes  may  be  promoted. 


PART  II. 


CIVILIZATION  OF  THE  NATIVES. 

CHAPTER  I. 

On  the  practicability  of  civilizing  the  natives, 

1.  Supposing  an  ecclesiastical  establishment  to  have 
been  given  to  India,  we  shall  now  consider  the  result, 
in  regard  to  the  civilization  of  the  natives.*  No  im¬ 
mediate  benefit  is  to  be  expected  from  it  in  the  way  of 
revolution  ;  but  it  may  be  demonstrated  by  a  deduction 
from  facts,  that  the  most  beneficial  consequences  will 
follow,  in  the  way  of  ordinary  effect,  from  an  adequate 
cause. 

2.  The  expediency  of  increasing  our  church  estab¬ 
lishment  in  India,  and  cf  communicating  Christian  in¬ 
struction  to  our  Asiatic  subjects,  was  debated  in  Parlia¬ 
ment  in  the  year  1793.  The  resolutions  which  recog¬ 
nize  the  general  principle  of  u  civilizing  the  natives  of 
India,”  were  carried,  and  now  stand  on  record  in  the 
Journals  of  the  House  of  Commons.  It  was  consider¬ 
ed,  however,  as  an  inauspicious  moment  (at  the  com¬ 
mencement  of  a  perilous  war)  to  organize  the  necessary 
establishment  for  India,  and  the  bill  was  referred  to  fu¬ 
ture  consideration. 

3.  Since  that  period  the  situation  and  circumstances 
of  both  countries  are  materially  changed.  The  French 
revolution  has  imposed  upon  us  the  duty  of  using  new 
means  for  extending  and  establishing  Christian  princi¬ 
ples.  Our  territorial  possessions  in  the  East  have  been 
nearly  doubled  in  extent  y  and  thence  arises  the  duty  of 
cherishing  the  religion  and  morals  of  the  increased 
number  of  our  countrymen,  who  occupy  these  posses¬ 
sions  ;  as  well  as  of  promoting  the  civilization  of  our 
native  subjects  by  every  rational  means. 

*  See  Appendix  G. 


2G0 


MEMOIR. 


4.  To  civilize  the  Hindoos  will  be  considered,  by 
most  men,  our  duty  :  but  is  it  practicable  ?  and  if  prac¬ 
ticable,  would  it  be  consistent  with  a  wise  policy  ?  It 
has  been  alleged  by  some,  that  no  direct  means  ought 
to  be  used  for  the  moral  improvement  of  the  natives  ; 
and  it  is  not  considered  liberal  or  politic  to  disturb  their 
superstitions. 

Whether  we  use  direct  means  or  not,  their  supersti¬ 
tions  will  be  disturbed  under  the  influence  of  British  civ¬ 
ilization.  But  we  ought  first  to  observe  that  there  are 
multitudes  who  have  no  faith  at  all.  Neither  Hindoos 
nor  Mussulmans,  ou'c-casts  from  every  faith  ;  they  are 
of  themselves  fit  objects  for  the  beneficence  of  the  Bri¬ 
tish  Parliament.  Subjects  of  the  British  empire,  they 
seek  a  cast  and  a  religion,  and  claim  from  a  just  gov¬ 
ernment  the  franchise  of  a  human  creature. 

5.  And  as  to  those  who  have  a  faith,  that  faith,  we 
aver  will  be  disturbed,  whether  we  wish  it  or  not,  under 
the  influence  of  British  principles  :  this  is  a  truth  con¬ 
firmed  by  experience.  Their  prejudices  weaken  daily 
in  every  European  settlement.  Their  sanguinary  rites 
cannot  now  bear  the  noonday  of  English  observation  : 
and  the  intelligent  among  them  are  ashamed  to  confess 
the  absurd  principles  of  their  own  casts.  As  for  ex¬ 
treme  delicacy  toward  the  superstitions  of  the  Hindoos, 
they  understand  it  not.  Their  ignorance  and  apathy 
are  so  extreme,  that  no  means  of  instruction  will  give 
them  serious  offence,  except  positive  violence.* 

6.  It  is  necessary  to  be  explicit  on  this  point;  for  it 
seems  that,  independently  of  its  supposed  policy,  it  has 
been  accounted  a  virtue  at  home,  not  to  remove  the 
prejudices  of  the  ignorant  natives  ;  not  to  reprove  their 
idolatry  ;  not  to  touch  their  bloody  superstition  ;  and 
that  this  sentiment  has  been  emblazoned  by  much  elo¬ 
quence  and  rendered  very  popular  ;  just  as  if  we  were 
performing  an  act  of  charity  by  so  doing  ;  and  as  if  it 

*  The  Christian  missionary  is  always  followed  by  crowds  of  the 
common  people,  who  listen  with  great  pleasure  to  the  disputation 
between  him  and  the  Brahmins  ;  and  are  not  a  little  amused  when 
the  Brahmins  depart,  and  appoint  another  day  for  the  discussion. 
The  people  sometimes  bring  back  the  Brahmins  by  constraint,  and 
urge  them  to  the  contest  again. 


20! 


MEMOIR. 

were  so  considered  by  the  natives.  It  is  not  an  act  of 
charity  on  our  part,  nor  is  it  so  considered  by  them. 
They  themselves  tell  us  plainly  why  we  do  not  mind 
their  religion  ;  “  not  because  we  fear  to  disturb  their 
“  tranquility,  but  because  we  have  no  religion  of  our 
own.” 

7.  A  Hindoo  may  live  with  his  English  master  for 
twenty  years,  and  never  once  hear  him  mention  his  re¬ 
ligion.  He  gives  then  his  master  no  credit  for  his  del¬ 
icacy  in  not  proselyting  him.  But  he  gives  him  credit 
for  this,  that  he  is  a  humane  man,  just  in  his  conduct, 
of  good  faith  in  his  promises,  and  indifferent  about  his 
(the  Hindoo’s)  prejudices.  The  very  reverse  of  all 
which,  was  his  predecessor  the  Mahometan. 

8.  Not  to  harass  the  natives  unnecessarily  on  any  sub¬ 
ject  is  doubtless  good  policy  :  but  in  this  case  it  is  a 
cheap  policy,  for  it  is  perfectly  natural  to  us,  and  there¬ 
fore  has  ever  been  maintained.  Did  we  consider  their 
moral  improvement  equal  in  importance  to  tribute  or 
revenue,  we  should  long  ago  have  attempted  it.  We 
can  claim  no  merit  then  for  this  forbearance,  for  it  ari¬ 
ses  from  our  own  unconcern  about  the  Christian  reli¬ 
gion. 

9.  But  so  great  is  the  truth  and  divine  excellence  of 
our  religion,  that  even  the  principles  which  How  from  it 
remotely,  lead  the  heathens  to  inquire  into  its  doctrine, 
the  fountain.  Natives  of  all  ranks  in  Hindostan,  at  their 
courts  and  in  their  bazars,  behold  an  awful  contrast  be¬ 
tween  their  base  and  illiberal  maxims,  and  our  just  and 
generous  principles.  Of  this  they  discourse  to  each 
other,  and  inquire  about  the  cause,  but  we  nvill  not  tell 
them.  We  are  ashamed  to  confess  that  these  principles 
flow  from  our  religion.  We  would  indeed  rather  ac¬ 
knowledge  any  other  source. 

10.  The  action  of  our  principles  upon  them  is  never¬ 
theless  constant;  and  some  aid  of  religious  considera¬ 
tion,  on  our  part,  would  make  it  effective.  They  are  a 
divided  people.  They  have  no  common  interest.  There 
is  no  such  thing  as  a  hierarchy  of  Brahminical  faith  in 
Hindostan,  fixed  by  certain  tenets,  and  guided  by  an  in¬ 
fallible  head.  They  have  no  ecclesiastical  polity,  church 
government,  synods,  or  assemblies.  Some  Brahmins* 


202 


MEMOIR. 


are  supported  by  hereditary  lands  granted  to  a  family 
or  attached  to  a  temple,  and  pass  their  time  in  passive 
ignorance,  without  concern  about  public  affairs.  Brah¬ 
mins  having  no  endowment,  engage  in  lay  offices,  as 
shopkeepers,  money-lenders,  clerks  and  writers  ;  or  in 
other  inferior  and  servile  occupations.  Others  seek  a  re¬ 
ligious  character,  and  prosecute  study  at  some  of  the  Hin¬ 
doo  schools,  of  which  there  are  a  great  number  in  Hin- 
dostan.  These  are,  in  general,  supported  by  the  contri¬ 
butions  of  their  students,  or  by  public  alms.  The  chief 
of  these  schools  are  Benares,  Nuddeea,  and  Ougein. 
Benares  has  acquired  a  higher  celebrity  for  general 
learning  than  the  other  schools.  But  a  Brahmin  of 
Nuddeea  or  of  Calcutta,  acknowledges  no  jurisdiction 
of  a  Brahmin  at  Benares,  or  of  any  other  Brahmin  in 
Hindostan.  The  Brahminical  system,  from  Cape  Co¬ 
morin  to  Tibet,  is  purely  republican,  or  rather  anarch¬ 
ical.*  The  Brahmins  of  one  province  often  differ  in 
their  creed  and  customs  from  those  in  another.  Of  the 
chiefBrahmins  in  the  college  of  Fort  William,  there  are 
few  (not  being  of  the  same  district)  who  will  give  the 
same  account  of  their  faith,  or  refer  to  the  same  sacred 
books.  So  much  do  the  opinions  of  some  of  those  now 
in  the  college  differ,  that  they  will  not  so  much  as  wor¬ 
ship  or  eat  with  each  other.  The  Brahmins  in  general 
cannot  read  their  sacred  books.  Their  ignorance  of 
writing  and  of  the  geography  of  the  country  is  such, 
that  there  is  no  general  communication  among  them, 
political  or  religious. 

11.  The  natives  of  Hindostan  are  a  divided  people. 
They  have  no  common  interest.  To  disseminate  new 
principles  among  them  is  not  difficult.  They  are  less 
tenacious  of  opinion  than  of  custom.  In  no  other  coun¬ 
try  has  there  been  such  a  variety  of  opinions  on  reli¬ 
gious  subjects,  for  many  ages  past,  as  in  Hindostan. 
The  aborigines  of  the  country,  denominated  Hindoos  or 
Gentoos,  were  not  all  followers  of  Brahma.  Some  were 
worshippers  of  the  deity  Boodh.  The  numerous  nation 
of  the  Sieks,  which  is  a  secession  of  Hinduism, 
forms  another  great  class.  The  inhabitants  of  the  hills 


*  See  Appendix  H. 


memoir. 


203 


lo  the  south  and  north  of  the  peninsula,  (according  to 
some,  the  oldest  race,)  are  again  different  from  the  for¬ 
mer,  and  ftpm  each  other.  All  these  different  sects 
have  their  respective  subdivisions,  schisms,  and  contra¬ 
rieties  in  opinion  and  in  practice.  And  from  all  of 
them  the  Mahometans,  who  are  now  spread  over  all 
Hindustan,  are  entirely  distinct ;  and  from  these  again 
differ  the  various  ramifications  of  the  Christian  faith! 
The  sea  coasts,  for  several  centuries  past,  have  been 
peopled  by  Portuguese,  Armenian,  Greek  or  Nestorian 
Christians  ;  and  now  the  Protestant  religion  flourishes 
wherever  it  is  taught.  In  no  other  country  is  there 
such  a  variety  of  religions,  or  so  little  concern  about 
what  true  religion  is,  as  in  British  India.  A  man  may 
worship  any  thing  or  nothing.  When  one  native  meets 
another  on  the  road,  he  seldom  expects  to  find  that  he 
is  of  the  same  cast  with  himself.  It  has  been  calculated 
that  there  are  an  hundred  casts  of  religion  in  India. 
Hence  the  Hindoo  maxim,  so  grateful  to  the  philos¬ 
ophers,  that  the  Deity  is  pleased  with  the  variety,  and 
that  every  religion,  or  no  religion,  is  right. 

To  disseminate  the  principles  of  the  Christian  reli¬ 
gion  and  morals  throughout  the  provinces  under  our 
dominion,  is  certainly  very  practicable  A 

CHAPTER  II. 

On  the  policy  of  civilizing  the  natives. 

1.  In  governing  conquered  kingdoms,  a  Christian 
policy^ may  be  exercised,  or  a  Roman  policy. 

A  Roman  policy  sacrifices  religion  to  every  other 
consideration  in  the  administration  of  the  new  empire, 
x  he  religion  of  the  native  is  considered  as  an  accident 
or  peculiarity,  like  that  of  his  colour  or  form  of  bodv 
and  as  being  natural  rather  than  acquired  ;  and  there ’ 
lore  no  attempt  is  made  to  change  it.  And  this  is  cor¬ 
rect  reasoning,  on  the  principle  that  all  religions  arc 

*  See  Appendix  F. 


204 


MEMOIR* 


human  and  equal.  The  policy  therefore  founded  on 
this  principle,  professes  to  cultivate  the  intellectual 
powers  of  the  native  in  every  branch  of  knowledge,  ex¬ 
cept  religion. 

It  is  evident  that  the  administration  of  India  during 
the  last  forty  years,  has  been  conducted  on  the  princi¬ 
ples  of  the  Roman  policy.  The  religion  of  the  natives 
continuing  the  same,  they  have  been  properly  govern¬ 
ed  by  their  own  laws. 

2.  A  Christian  policy  embraces  all  the  just  principles 
of  the  Roman  policy,  but  extends  its  aims  of  utility 
further  by  endeavouring  to  improve  the  mind  of  the 
native  in  religious  knowledge,  as  soon  as  the  practica¬ 
bility  of  the  attempt  shall  appear  obvious.  The  prac¬ 
ticability  will  of  course  be  retarded  in  some  conquered 
heathen  states,  by  particular  circumstances.  But  a 
Christian  policy  ever  looks  to  the  Christian  religion  for 
the  perpetuity  of  empire  ;  and  considers  that  the  knowl¬ 
edge  of  Christian  principles  can  alone  enable  the  na¬ 
tives  to  comprehend  or  to  appreciate  the  spirit  of  Chris¬ 
tian  government.  Our  religion  is  therefore  inculcated 
for  the  following  reasons  generally  : 

1st.  Because  its  civilizing  and  benign  influence  is 
certain  and  undeniable.  We  have  seen  that  it  has  dis¬ 
pensed  knowledge  and  happiness  to  every  people,  who 
have  embraced  it. 

2dly.  Because  it  attaches  the  governed  to  their  gov¬ 
ernors  ;  and  facilitates  our  intercourse  with  the  natives. 
There  can  never  be  confidence,  freedom  and  affection 
between  the  people  and  their  sovereign,  where  there 
exists  a  difference  in  religion. 

3dly.  The  Christian  religion  is  inculcated  on  account 
of  its  eternal  sanctions  ;  and  the  solemn  obliga¬ 
tion  of  Christians  to  proclaim  them,  whenever  an  op¬ 
portunity  shall  be  afforded  by  Providence  of  doing  it 
with  probable  success  ;  it  being  by  no  means  submitted 
to  our  judgment,  or  to  our  notions  of  policy,  whether 
we  shall  embrace  the  means  of  imparting  Christian 
knowledge  to  our  subjects  or  not ;  any  more  than  it  is 
submitted  toa  Christian  father,  whether  he  shall  choose 
to  instruct  his  family  or  not. 

These  motives  will  acquire  additional  weight,  if, 


MEMOIR. 


203 


first,  the  natives  be  subject  to  an  immoral  or  inhuman 
superstition  ;  and,  secondly,  if  we  voluntarily  exercise 
dominion  over  them,  and  be  benefited  by  that  do¬ 
minion.  J 

3.  The  question  of  policy,  regarding  the  instruction 
ot  our  native  subjects,  the  Mahometans  and  Hindoos, 

is  to  oe  determined  by  the  consideration  of  their  moral 
state. 

1  lie  Mahometans  profess  a  religion,  which  has  ever 
been  characterised  by  political  bigotry  and  intemperate 

J"  tI?1,s  c°untr7  <hat  religion  still  retains  the  char¬ 
acter  of  ns  bloody  origin  ;  particularly  among  the  high- 

\  classes;  henever  the  Mahometan  feels  his  reli- 
gion  touched,  he  grasps  his  dagger.  This  spirit  was 
seen  in  full  operation  under  Tippoo’s  government ;  and 
it  is  not  now  extinguished.  What  was  the  cause  of  the 
alarm  which  seized  the  English  families  in  Bengal  af- 
trn  the  late  massacre  of  our  countrymen  at  Benares,  bv 
t  e  Mahometan  chiefs  ?  There  was  certainly  no  e  round 
for  apprehension  ;  but  it  plainly  manifested  our  opinion 
of  the  people.— We  have  consolidated  our  Indian  ctn- 

?v;il  ™r.  pOWCr ;  anditis  now  impregnable  ;  but 
wiB  the  Mahometan  ever  bend  humbly  to  Christian  do¬ 
minion  ?  Never,  while  he  is  a  Mahometan 

>  Is  H  thfn  g°od  P°li(T  to  cherish  a  vindictive  reli¬ 
gion  in  the  bosom  of  the  empire  forever  ?  Would  it 
not  accord  with  the  dictates  of  the  soundest  wisdom  to 
!rpChr  st,an  "ch,ools  to  be  established,  where  the 

uer  the°IPTr^  10"?etu"S  miShtlearn  another  tem- 
pei  ,  the  good  effects  of  which  would  be  felt  before  one 

generation  pass  away  ?  The  adult  Hindoo  will  hardly  dc! 

pvt  from  his  idol,  or  the  Mahometan  from  his  prophet 

n  Ins  old  age  ;  but  their  children  when  left  destitute’ 

please6  Buf^  Up  f  hrislians>  ifthe  British  parliament 
I  case.  But  as  matters  now  stand,  the  follower  of  Ma¬ 
homet  imagines  that  we  consider  it  a  point  of  honour  to 
reverence  /ns  faith  and  to  despise  our  own.  For  he  ev- 
ery  day,  meets  with  Europeans,  who  would  more  read- 
hhSPMk  W,Uh  dl.sresPect  nf  their  own  religion,  than  of 
"  'he  b}S°tr*  °f  tMs  ^tolerant  faith 
While  it  K  <,  °r-C  tcndcrne»  tha“  in  British  India. 

'  suUennS  concussion  in  every  other  part  of 


206 


MEMOIR. 


the  world,  even  to  Mecca,  its  centre,  (as  by  a  concur¬ 
ring  providence,  towards  its  final  abolition,)  here  it  is 
fostered  in  the  peaceful  lap  of  Christian  liberality. 

5.  A  wise  policy  seems  to  demand  that  we  should 
use  every  means  of  coercing  this  contemptuous  spirit  of 
our  native  subjects.  Is  there  not  more  danger  of  losing 
this  country,  in  the  revolution  of  ages,  (for  an  empire 
without  a  religious  establishment  cannot  stand  forever,) 
by  leaving  the  dispositions  and  prejudices  of  the  people 
in  their  present  state,  than  by  any  change  that  Christian 
knowledge  and  an  improved  state  of  civil  society,  would 
produce  in  them  ?  And  would  not  Christianity,  more 
effectually  than  any  tiling  else,  disunite  and  segregate 
our  subjects  from  the  neighbouring  states,  who  are 
now  of  the  same  religion  with  themselves ;  and  between 
whom  there  must  ever  be,  as  there  ever  hasbeen,  a  con¬ 
stant  disposition  to  confederacy  and  to  the  support  of  a 
common  interest  ?  At  present  there  is  no  natural  bond 
of  union  between  us  and  them.  There  is  nothing  com¬ 
mon  in  laws,  language,  or  religion,  in  interest,  colour 
or  country.  And  what  is  chiefly  worthy  of  notice,  wte 
can  approach  them  in  no  other  way  than  by  the  means 
of  our  religion.* ** 

6.  The  moral  state  of  the  Hindoos  is  represented  as 
being  still  worse  than  that  of  the  Mahometans.  Those, 
who  have  had  the  best  opportunities  of  knowing  them, 

*  “  The  newly  converted  Christians  on  the  coast  of  Malabar 
“  are  the  chief  support  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company  at  Co- 
“  chin  ;  and  are  always  ready  to  take  up  arms  in  their  defence. 
“  The  Pagans  and  Mahometans  are  naturally  enemies  to  the  Eu- 
“  ropeans,  because  they  have  no  similarity  to  them  either  in  their 

**  external  appearance,  or  in  regard  to  their  manners,  their  re* 
“  ligion,  or  their  interest.  If  the  English  therefore  do  not  en* 
**  deavour  to  secure  the  friendship  of  the  Christians  in  India,  on 
<£  whom  can  they  depend  ?  How  can  they  hope  to  preserve  their 
“  possessions  in  tliai  remote  country  ? — In  the  above  observations 
“  may  be  found  one  of  the  reasons  why  neither  Hyder  Ali  nor 
“  Tippoo  Sultan  could  maintain  their  ground  against  the  English 
“  and  the  king  of  Travancore  on  the  coast  of  Malabar.  The 
*'  great  number  of  Christians  residing  there,  whom  Hyder  and 
**  liis  son  every  where  persecuted,  always  took  part  with  the  Eng* 
“  lish.”  See  Bartolomeo’s  Voyage,  page  207,  and  note. 

“Ten  thousand  native  Christians  lost  their  lives  during  that 
vrar.”  Ibid.  349. 


MEMOIR. 


20  r 

and  who  have  known  them  for  the  longest  time,  concur 
in  declaring  that  neither  truth,  nor  honesty,  honour, 
gratitude,  nor  charily,  is  to  be  found  pure  in  the  breast 
of  a  Hindoo.  How  can  it  be  otherwise  ?  The  Hindoo 
children  have  no  moral  instruction.  If  the  inhabitants 
of  the  British  isleshad  no  moral  instruction,  would  they 
be  moral  ?  The  Hindoos  have  no  moral  books.  What 
branch  of  their  mythology  has  not  more  of  falsehood 
and  vice  in  it,  than  of  truth  and  virtue  ?  They  have  no 
moral  gods.  The  robber  and  the  prostitute  lift  up  their 
hands  with  the  infant  and  the.  priest,  before  an  horrible 
idol  of  clay  painted  red,  deformed  and  disgusting  as  the 
vices  which  are  practised  before  it.* 

7.  You  will  sometimes  hear  it  said  that  the  Hindoos 
are  a  mild  and  passive  people.  They  have  apathy  rath¬ 
er  than  mildness  ;  their  hebetude  of  mind  is  perhaps 
their  chief  negative  virtue.  They  are  a  race  of  men  of 
weak  bodily  frame,  and  they  have  a  mind  conformedlo  it, 
timid  and  abject  in  the  extreme.  They  are  passive 
enough  to  receive  any  vicious  impression.  The  Eng¬ 
lish  government  found  it  necessary  lately  to  enact  a  law 
against  parents  sacrificing  their  own  children.  In  the 
course  of  the  last  six  months,  one  hundred  and  sixteen 
women  were  burnt  alive  with  the  bodies  of  their  de¬ 
ceased  husbands  within  thirty  miles  round  Calcutta,  the 
most  civilized  quarter  of  Bengal. t  But  independently 
of  their  superstitious  practices,  they  are  described  by 
competent  judges  as  being  of  a  spirit  vindictive  and 
merciless;  exhibiting  itself  at  times  in  a  rage  and  infat¬ 
uation,  which  is  without  example  among  any  other 

*  The  Hindoo  superstition  has  been  denominated  lascivious  and 
bloody.  That  it  js  bloody,  is  manifest  from  the  daily  instances  of 
the  female  sacrifice,  and  of  the  commission  of  sanguinary  or  pain, 
ful  rites.  .  The  ground  of  the  former  epithet  may  be  discovered  in 
the  description  of  their  religious  ceremonies  :  *•  There  is  in  most 
sects  a  right-handed  or  decent  path  ;  and  “  a  left-handed  or  inde¬ 
cent  mode  of  worship.” 

See  Essay  on  the  religious  ceremonies  of  the  Brahmins,  by  H. 
T.  Colebrooke,  Esq.  Asiat.  Res.  Vol.  VII  p.  281  That  such  a 
principle  should  have  been  admitted  as  systematic  in  any  religion 
on  earth,  may  be  considered  as  the  last  effort  of  mental  depravity 
in  the  invention  of  a  superstition  to  blind  the  understanding,  and 
to  corrupt  the  heart. 

t  From  April  to  October,  1804.  See  Appendix  D. 


203 


MEMOIR. 


people.*  Butitisnot  necessary  to  enter  into  any  detail 
to  prove  the  degraded  state  of  the  Hindoos :  for  if  it 
were  demonstrated  that  their  moral  depravity,  their 
personal  wretchedness,  and  their  mental  slavery  were 
greater  than  imagination  can  conceive,  the  fact  would 
have  no  influence  on  those  who  now  oppose  their 
Christian  instruction.  For,  on  the  same  principle  that 
they  withhold  instruction  from  them  in  their  present 
state,  they  would  deny  it,  if  they  were  worse.  Were 
the  books  of  the  Brahmins  to  sanction  the  eating  of  hu - 
man  flesh,  as  they  do  the  burning  of  women  alive,  the 
practice  would  be  respected.  It  would  be  considered 
as  a  solemn  rite  consecrated  by  the  ancient  and  sacred 

*  Lord  Teignmouth,  while  President  of  the  Asiatic  Society  in 
Bengal,  delivered  a  discourse  in  which  lie  illustrated  the  revenge¬ 
ful  and  pitiless  spirit  of  the  Hindoos,  by  instances  which  had  come 
within  his  own  knowledge  while  resident  at  Renares. 

In  1791,  SoodishttT  Meer,  a  Brahmin,  having  refused  to  obey  a 
summons  issued  bv  a  civil  officer,  a  force  was  sent  to  compel  obe¬ 
dience.  To  intimidate  them,  or  to  satiate  a  spirit  of  revenge  in 
himself,  he  sacrificed  one  of  hisown  family.  “  On  their  approach- 
“  ing  his  house,  he  cut  off  the  head  of  his  deceased  son’s  widow, 
and  threw  it  out.” 

In  1793,  a  Brahmin  named  Ballo.  had  a  quarrel  with  a  man  a- 
bout  a  field,  and,  by  way  of  revenging  himself  on  this  man,  he  kil¬ 
led  his  own  daughter.  “  I  became  angry,  said  he,  and  enraged  at 
“his  forbidding  me  to  plough  the  field,  and  bringing  my  own  little 

daughter  Apmunya,  who  was  only  a  year  and  a  half  old,  1  killed 
*•  her  with  my  sword.” 

About  the  same  time,  an  act  of  matricide  was  perpetrated  by 
two  Brahmins,  Beechuck  and  Adher.  These  two  men  conceiving 
themselves  to  have  been  injured  by  some  persons  in  a  certain  vil¬ 
lage  they  brought  their  mother  to  an  adjacent  rivulet,  and  cal¬ 
ling  aloud  to  the  people  of  the  village,  “  Beechuck  drew  his 
4‘  scymetar,  and,  atone  stroke,  severed  his  mother’s  head  from 
“  the  body;  with  the  professed  view,  as  avowed  by  both  parent 
“  and  son,  that  the  mother’s  spirit  might  forever  haunt  these  who 
!(  had  injured  them.”  Asiat.  Res.  Vol.  IV  p.  337. 

Would  not  the  principles  of  the  Christian  religion  be  a  good 
substitute  for  the  principles  of  these  Brahmins  of  the  province  of 
Benares  ? 

It  will,  perhaps,  he  observed,  that  these  are  but  individual  in¬ 
stances.  True  :  but  they  prove  all  that  is  required.  Is  there  any 
ether  barbarous  nation  on  earth  which  can  exhibit  such  instances  l 


MEMOIR. 


205 


prejudices  of  the  people,  and  the  cannibal  would  be  es¬ 
teemed  holy.* 

8.  During  the  last  thirty  years  there  have  been  many 
plans  suggested  for  the  better  administration  of  the 
government  of  this  country;  but  no  system  which  lias 
not  the  reformation  of  the  morals  of  the  people  for  its 
basis,  can  ever  be  effective.  The  people  are  destitute 
of  those  principles  of  honesty,  truth  and  justice,  which 
respond to  the  spirit  of  British  administration  ;  they  have 
not  a  disposition  which  is  accordant  with  the  tenor  of 
Christian  principles.  No  virtues,  therefore,  no  talents, 
or  local  qualification  of  their  governors  can  apply  the 
most  perfect  system  of  government  with  full  advantage 
to  such  subjects.  Something  maybe  done  by  civil  insti¬ 
tution  to  ameliorate  their  condition, but  the  spirit  of  their 
superstition  has  a  continual  tendency  to  deterioration. 

9.  The  European  who  has  been  long  resident  in 
India,  looks  on  the  civilization  of  the  Hindoos  with  a 
hopeless  eye.  Despairing,  therefore,  of  intellectual  or 
moral  improvement,  he  is  content  with  an  obsequious 
spirit  and  manual  service.  These  he  calls  the  virtues 
of  the  Hindoo  ;  and,  after  twenty  years’  service,  praises 
his  domestic  for  his  virtues. 

10.  It  has  been  remarked,  that  those  learned  men 
who  are  in  the  habit  of  investigating  the  mythology  of 
the  Hindoos,  seldom  prosecute  their  studies  with*  any 
view  to  the  moral  or  religious  improvement  of  the  peo¬ 
ple.  Why  do  they  not?  It  is  because  they  think  their 
improvement  hardly  practicable.  Indeed  the  present  cir¬ 
cumstances  of  the  people  seldom  become  a  subject  of 
their  investigation.  Though  such  a  number  of  women 
sacrifice  themselves  every  year  in  the  vicinity  of  Cal¬ 
cutta,  yet  it  is  rare  that  a  European  witnesses  the  scene, 
or  even  hears  of  the  event.  At  the  time  that  govern¬ 
ment  passed  the  law  which  prohibited  the  drowning  of 
children,  or  exposing  them  to  sharks  and  crocodiles  at 
Saugor,  there  were  many  intelligent  persons  in  Calcutta 
who  had  never  heard  that  such  enormities  existed. 
Who  cares  about  the  Hindoos,  or  ever  thinks  of  visiting* 

*  It  is  a  fact  that  human  sacrifices  were  formerly  offe  r -1  by  the 
Hindoos  :  and  as  it  would  appear,  at  that  period  which  is  fixed 
Jy somc  authors  for  the  <era  of  their  civilization  and  refinement 

s  2 


210 


MEMOIR. 


a  village  to  inquire  about  their  stale,  or  to  improve  their 
condition  !  When  a  boat  oversets  in  the  Ganges,  and 
twenty  or  thirty  of  them  are  drowned,  is  the  event  no¬ 
ticed  as  of  any  consequence,  or  recorded  in  a  news¬ 
paper,  as  in  England  ?  or  when  their  dead  bodies  float 
down  the  river,  are  they  viewed  with  other  emotions 
than  those  with  which  we  behold  the  bodies  of  other 
animals  ? 

1 1.  A  few  notices  of  this  kind  will  at  once  discover 
to  the  accurate  observer  of  manners  in  Europe,  the  de¬ 
graded  character  of  the  Hindoos  in  our  estimation, 
whatever  may  be  the  cause.  What  then  is  the  cause 
of  this  disregard  of  the  persons  and  circumstances  of 
the  Hindoos  ?  the  cause  is  to  be  found  in  the  super¬ 
stition,  ignorance,  and  vices  of  the  Hindoo  character  ; 
and  in  nothing  else.* 

12.  Now  it  is  certain  that  the  morals  of  this  people, 
though  they  should  remain  subject  to  the  British  gov¬ 
ernment  for  a  thousand  years,  will  never  be  improved 
by  any  other  means  than  by  the  principles  of  the  Chris¬ 
tian  religion.  The  moral  example  of  the  few  English 
In  India  cannot  pervade  the  mass  of  the  population. 
What  then  is  to  be  expected  as  the  utmost  felicity  of 
British  administration  for  ages  to  come  ?  It  is  this,  that 
we  shall  protect  the  country  from  invasion,  and  grant 
to  the  inhabitants  to  manufacture  our  investments  in 
solemn  stillness,  buried  in  personal  vice,  and  in  a  sense¬ 
less  idolatry. 

13.  Providence  hath  been  pleased  to  grant  to  us  this 
great  empire,  on  a  continent  where,  a  few  years  ago, 
we  had  not  a  foot  of  land.  From  it  we  export  annually 
an  immense  wealth  to  enrich  our  own  country.  What 
do  we  give  in  return  ?  Is  it  said  that  we  give  protection 
to  the  inhabitants,  and  administer  equal  laws  ?  This  is 
necessary  for  obtaining  our  wealth.  But  what  do  we 
give  in  return  ?  What  acknowledgment  to  Providence 
for  its  goodness  has  our  nation  ever  made  ?  What  ben¬ 
efit  hath  the  Englishman  ever  conferred  on  the  Hindoo, 
as  on  a  brother  ?  Every  argument  brought  in  support  of 
the  policy  of  not  instructing  the  natives  our  subjects, 
when  traced  to  its  source,  will  be  found  to  flow  from 


*  See  Appendix  I. 


MEMOIR. 


211 


principles  of  Deism,  or  of  Atheism,  or  of  Polytheism, 
and  not  from  the  principles  of  the  Christian  religion. 

14.  Is  there  any  one  duty  incumbent  on  us  as  conquer¬ 
ors,  toward  a  conquered  people,  resulting  from  our  be¬ 
ing  a  Christian  nation,  which  is  not  common  to  the  an¬ 
cient  Romans  or  the  modern  French  ?  If  there  be,  what 
is  it?  The  Romans  and  the  French  observed  such  deli- 
eacy  of  conduct  toward  the  conquered,  on  the  subject 
of  religion,  that  they  not  only  did  not  trouble  them  with 
their  own  religion,  but  said  unto  them,  “  We  shall  be 
u  °f  yours.”  So  far  did  these  nations  excel  us  in  the 
policy  of  not  “  disturbing  the  faith  of  the  natives.” 

Can  any  one  believe  that  our  Indian  subjects  are  to 
remain  forever  under  our  government  involved  in  their 
present  barbarism  and  subject  to  the  same  inhuman  su¬ 
perstition  ?  And  if  there  be  a  hope  that  they  will  be  civ¬ 
ilized,  when  is  it  to  begin,  and  by  whom  is  it  to  be  ef¬ 
fected  ?  ' 

15.  No  Christian  nation  ever  possessed  such  an  ex¬ 
tensive  field  for  the  propagation  of  the  Christian  faith, 
as  that  afforded  to  us  by  our  influence  over  the  hundred 
million  natives  of  Hindostan.  No  other  nation  ever 
possessed  such  facilities  for  the  extension  of  its  faith 
as  we  now  have  in  the  government  of  a  passive  people  ; 
who  yield  submissively  to  our  mild  sway,  reverence  our 
principles,  and  acknowledge  our  dominion  to  be  a  bles¬ 
sing.  Why  should  it  be  thought  incredible  that  Provi¬ 
dence  hath  been  pleased,  in  a  course  of  years  to  subju¬ 
gate  this  Eastern  empire  to  the  most  civilized  nation  in 
the  world,  for  this  -very  purpose  ? 

IS.  “  The  facility  of  civilizing  the  natives,  some  will 
u  admit,  is  great;  but  is  the  measure  safe  ?  It  is  easy 
“  to  govern  the  Hindoos  in  their  ignorance,  but  shall 
“  we  make  them  as  wise  as  ourselves !  The  supersti- 
u  tions  of  the  people  are  no  doubt  abhorrent  from  rea- 
“  son  :  they  are  idolatrous  in  their  worship,  and  bloody 
u  jn  their  sacrifices  ;  but  their  manual  skill  is  exquisite 
“  tn  the  labours  of  the  loom  ;  they  are  a  gentle  and  ob- 
“  sequious  people  in  civil  transaction.” 

.ill  ten  centuries  the  Hindoos  will  not  be  as  wise  as 
the  English.  It  is  now  perhaps  nineteen  centuries 
since  human  sacrifices  were  offered  on  the  British  al- 


212 


MEMOIR. 


tars.  The  progressive  civilization  of  the  Hindoos,  will 
never  injure  the  interests  of  the  East  India  Company. 
But  shall  a  Christian  people,  acknowledging  a  Provi¬ 
dence  in  the  rise  and  fall  of  empire,  regulate  the  policy 
of  future  times,  and  neglect  a  present  duty;  a  solemn  and 
imperious  duty  :  exacted  by  their  religion,  by  their  pub¬ 
lic  principles,  and  by  the  opinion  of  the  Christian  na¬ 
tions  around  them  !  Or  can  it  be  gratifying  to  the  Eng¬ 
lish  nation  to  reflect,  that  they  receive  the  riches  of  the 
East  on  the  terms  of  chartering  immoral  superstition  1 
17.  No  truth  has  been  more  clearly  demonstrated 
than  this,  that  the  communication  of  Christian  instruc¬ 
tion  to  the  natives  of  India  is  easy  ;  and  that  the  bene¬ 
fits  of  that  instruction,  civil  as  well  as  moral,  will  be  in¬ 
estimable  ;  whether  wre  consider  the  happiness  diffused 
among  so  many  millions,  or  their  consequent  attachment 
to  our  government,  or  the  advantages  resulting  from 
the  introduction  of  the  civilized  arts.  Every  thing  that 
can  brighten  the  hope  or  animate  the  policy  of  a  virtu¬ 
ous  people  organizing  a  new  empire,  and  seeking  the 
most  rational  means,  under  the  favour  of  heaven,  to  en¬ 
sure  its  perpetuity  ;  every  consideration,  we  aver,  would 
persuade  us  to  diffuse  the  blessings  of  Christian  knowl¬ 
edge  among  our  Indian  subjects, 

— -040— 


CHAPTER  III. 

On  the  impediments  to  the  civilization  of  the  natives. — 
The  philosophical  spirit  of  Europeans  formerly  an  im¬ 
pediment  to  the  civilization  of  the  natives. 

1.  A  chief  obstacle  to  the  civilization  of  the  Hindoos 
during  the  last  fifty  years,  is  accounted  by  some  to  have 
been  the  unconcern  of  Europeans  in  India,  particularly 
the  French,  as  to  their  moral  improvement,  and  the  ap¬ 
athy  with  which  they  beheld  their  superstitions.  This 
has  been  called  the  philosophical  spirit,  but  improper¬ 
ly  ;  for  it  is  a  spirit  very  contrary  to  that  of  true  philos¬ 
ophy.  The  philosophical  spirit  argues  in  this  manner  : 
“  An  elephant  is  an  elephant,  and  a  Hindoo  is  a  Hindoo. 


MEMOIR. 


213 


“  They  are  both  such  as  nature  made  them.  We 
“  ought  to  leave  them  on  the  plains  of  Hindostan  such 
“  as  we  found  them.” 

2.  The  philosophical  spirit  further  shews  itself  in  an 
admiration  of  the  ancient  systems  of  the  Hindoos,  and 
of  the  supposed  purity  of  their  doctrines  and  morals  in 
former  times.  But  truth  and  good  sense  have  for  some 
years  been  acquiring  the  ascendency,  and  are  now  am¬ 
ply  vindicated  by  a  spirit  of  accurate  investigation,  pro¬ 
duced  by  the  great  encouragement  which  has  been  late¬ 
ly  afforded  to  researches  into  Oriental  literature. 

3.  The  College  of  Fort-William  will  probably  illus¬ 
trate  to  the  world  what  India  is,  or  ever  was  ;  for  all  the 
sources  of  Oriental  learning  have  been  opened. 

The  gravity  with  which  some  learned  disquisitions 
have  been  lately  conducted  in  Europe,  and  particularly 
in  France,  respecting  Indian  science  and  Indian  antiqui¬ 
ty,  is  calculated  to  amuse  us. 

The  passion  for  the  Hindoo  Joques  seems  to  have 
been  first  excited  by  a  code  of  Gcntoo  laws,  transmitted 
with  official  recommendation  from  this  country,  and 
published  at  home  by  authority  ;  and  yet  not  by  the  code 
itself,  but  by  the  translator’s  preface,  in  which  there  are 
many  solemn  assertions  impugning  the  Christian  reve¬ 
lation,  and  giving  the  palm  to  Hindoo  antiquity.  The 
respect  due  to  the  code  itself  seems  to  have  been  trail 
ferred  to  this  preface,  which  was  written  by  a  young 
gentleman,  who  observes,  “  that  he  was  held  forth  to 
“  the  public  as  an  author,  almost  as  soon  as  he  had  com- 
t;  menced  to  be  a  man  that  he  could  not  translate  from 
the  Shanscrit  language  himself,  “  for  that  the  Pundits 
“  who  compiled  the  code,  were  to  a  man  resolute  in  rc- 
£C  jecting  all  his  solicitations  for  instruction  in  this  dia- 
a  lect ;  and  that  the  persuasion  and  influence  of  the  Gov- 

ernor  General  (Mr.  Hastings)  were  in  vain  exerted  to 
<£  the  same  purpose.”  Flaving-  then  translated  the  Gen- 
too  Laws  from  a  Persian  translation,  he  thinks  himself 
justified  in  believing,  “  that  the  world  does  not  now 
“  contain  annals  of  more  indisputable  antiquity  than 
«  those  delivered  down  by  the  ancient  Brahmins;  and 
“  that  we  cannot  possibly  find  grounds  to  suppose  that 
“  the  Hindoos  received  the  smallest  article  of  their  re- 


214 


MEMOIR. 


“  ligion  or  jurisprudence  from  Moses;  though  it  is  not 
“  utterly  impossible  that  the  doctrines  of  Hindostan 
t:  might  have  been  early  transplanted  into  Egypt,  and 
u  thus  have  become  familiar  to  Moses.”* 

4.  These  sentiments  for  the  first  time  ushered  on  the 
nation  under  the  appearance  of  respectable  sanction, 
were  eagerly  embraced.  The  sceptical  philosophers, 
particularly  in  France,  hoped  that  they  were  true  :  and 
the  learned  in  general  were  curious  to  explore  this  sa¬ 
cred  mine  of  ancient  literature.  “  Omne  ignotum  pro 
magnifico.”  Strangers  to  the  language,  they  looked 
into  the  mystical  records  of  the  Brahmins  as  into  the 
mouth  of  a  dark  cavern  of  unknown  extent,  probably 
inaccessible,  perhaps  fathomless.  Some  adventurers 
from  the  Asiatic  Society  entered  th?scavern,and  brought 
back  a  report  very  unfavorable  to  the  wishes  of  the 
credulous  infidel.  But  the,  college  of  Fort  William 
holds  a  torch  which  illuminates  its  darkest  recesses. 
And  the  result  is,  that  the  former  gloom,  which  was 
supposed  to  obscure  the  evidence  of  our  religion,  be¬ 
ing  now  removed  ;  enlightened  itself,  it  reflects  a  strong 
light  on  the  Mosaic  and  Evangelic  Scriptures,  and  Shan- 
scrit  Record  may  thus  be  considered  as  a  new  attesta¬ 
tion  to  the  truth  of  Christianity,  granted  by  the  divine 
dispensation,  to  these  latter  ages.f 

5.  The  whole  library  of  Shanscrit  learning  is  accessi¬ 
ble  to  members  of  the  college  of  Fort  William.  The 
old  keepers  of  this  library,  the  Pundits,  who  would 
give  no  access  to  the  translator  of  the  Gentoo  code,  or 
to  the  then  Governor  of  India,  now  vie  with  each  other 
in  giving  every  information  in  their  power.  Indeed 
thei’e  is  little  left  for  them  to  conceal.  Two  different 
grammars  of  the  Shanscrit  language  are  now  compi¬ 
ling  in  the  college,  one  by  the  Shanscrit  professor ;  and 
the  other  by  the  Shanscrit  teacher,  without  any  com¬ 
munication  as  to  each  other’s  system,  so  absolute  is 
their  confidence  in  a  knowledge  of  the  language.  The 
Shanscrit  teacher  proposed  to  the  council  of  the  col¬ 
lege  to  publish  the  whole  of  the  original  Shasters  in 
their  own  character,  with  an  English  translation.  The 

*  Preface  to  Gentoo  Code.  f  See  Appendix  b. 


MEMOIR. 


215 


chief  objection  to  this  was,  that  we  should  then  publish 
many  volumes,  which  few  would  have  patience  to  read. 
Such  parts  of  them  however  as  are  of  a  moral  tenden¬ 
cy,  or  which  illustrate  important  facts  in  Eastern  his¬ 
tory  or  science,  were  recommended  for  publication. 

6.  It  does  not  appear  that  any  one  work  in  Shanscrit 
literature  has  yet  been  discovered,  which  can  vie  in  an¬ 
tiquity  with  the  poem  of  Homer,  on  the  plain  ground  of 
historical  evidence,  and  collateral  proof.  It  is  probable 
that  there  may  be  some  work  of  an  older  date  ;  but  wc 
have  no  evidence  of  it.  If  ever  such  evidence  should 
be  obtained,  the  world  will  soon  hear  of  it.  As  to  the 
alleged  proof  of  antiquity  from  astronomical  calculation, 
it  is  yet  less  satisfactory  than  that  from  the  Egyptian  zo¬ 
diac,  or  Brydone’s  lava.f 

What  use  shall  we  make  of  the  illustration  of  these 
facts,  but  to  urge,  that,  since  the  dark  traditions  of  In¬ 
dia  have  confirmed  the  truth  of  divine  Revelation,  the 

benefits  of  that  Revelation  may  be  communicated  to  In¬ 
dia. 


— 040 — 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  sanguinary  superstitions  of  the  natives ,  an  impedi¬ 
ment  to  their  civilization. 


1 .  Another  impediment  to  the  civilization  of  the  na¬ 
tives  is  the  continuance  of  their  sanguinary  supersti¬ 
tions,  by  which  we  mean  those  practices  which  inflict 
immediate  death,  or  tend  to  produce  death.  All  bloodv 
superstition  indurates  the  heart  and  affections,  and  ren- 
the  understanding  inaccessible  to  moral  instruction. 


f  The  editors  of  the  Asiatic  Researches  in  London  have  availed 
themselves  of  the  occasion  of  that  work’s  being  republished  at 
home,  to  prefix  a  preface  to  the  fifth  volume,  confining-  senti. 
ments  directly  contrary  to  those  professed  and  published^  by  the 
most  learned  members  of  the  Asiatic  Society  They  will  be  much 
pbhg-ed  to  the  London  editors  of  that  work  to  take  no  such  libe.  tv 
in  futuie;  hut  to  allow  the  Society  to  write  its  own  nrefiirc  ■ 
to  speak  for  itself.  We  are  far  off  from  France  here  The  ^  ^ 
ety  professes  no  such  philosophy.  6  ^  Ihe  •boc'* 


216 


MEMOIR. 


No  ingenious  arts  can  ever  humanize  the  soul  addicted 
to  a  sanguinary  superstition. 

We  shall  not  pollute  the  page  with  a  description  of 
the  horrid  rites  of  the  religion  of  Brahma.  Suffice  it  to 
say  that  no  inhuman  practices  in  New  Zealand,  or  in  any 
other  newly  discovered  land  of  savages,  are  more  offen¬ 
sive  to  natural  feeling,  than  some  of  those  which  are 
committed  by  the  Hindoo  people. 

It  surely  has  never  been  asserted  that  these  enormi¬ 
ties  cannot  be  suppressed.  One  or  two  instances  may 
be  mentioned,  which  will  shew  that  the  Hindoo  super¬ 
stitions  are  not  impregnable. 

2.  It  had  been  the  custom  from  time  immemorial,  to 
immolate  at  the  island  of  Saugor,  and  at  other  places  re¬ 
puted  holy  on  the  banks  of  the  Ganges,  human  victims, 
by  drowning,  or  destruction  by  sharks.  Another  hor¬ 
rid  practice  accompanied  it,  which  was  the  sacrifice  of 
the  first  born  child  of  a  woman,  who  had  been  long  bar¬ 
ren.* 

The  Pundits  and  chief  Brahmins  of  the  college  of 
Fort -William  were  called  upon  to  declare,  by  what  sanc¬ 
tion  in  their  Shasters,  these  unnatural  cruelties  were 
committed.  They  alleged  no  sanction  but  custom ,  and 
what  they  termed  “  the  barbarous  ignorance  of  the  low 
“  casts.”  On  the  first  intimation  of  the  practice  to  the 
Governor  General  Marquis  Wellesley,  it  was  abolish¬ 
ed.!  Not  a  murmur  followed;  nor  has  any  attempt  of 
the  kind  since  been  heard  of. 

3.  A  similar  investigation  will  probably  soon  take 
place  respecting  the  custom  of  women  burning  them¬ 
selves  alive  on  the  death  of  their  husbands-!  T 'he  Pun¬ 
dits  have  already  been  called  on  to  produce  the  sanc¬ 
tion  of  their  Shasters.  The  passages  exhibited  are 
vague  and  general  in  their  meaning ;  and  differently 

*  At.  the  Hindoo  festival  in  1801,  ttventy-three  persons  sacri¬ 
ficed  themselves,  or  were  sacrificed  by  others,  at  the  island  ofSau- 
gor. 

f  See  Regulation.  Appendix  C. 

i  From  a  la‘e  investigation  it  appears  that  the  number  of  wo- 
men  who  sacrifice  themselves  within  thirty  miles  round  Calcutta 
every  year  is,  on  an  average,  upwards  of  "two  hundred.  See  Ap¬ 
pendix  D. 


MEMOIR. 


Sir 


interpreted  by  the  same  casts4  Some  sacred  verses 
commend  the  practice,  but  none  command  it ;  and  the 
Pundits  refer  once  more  to  custom.  They  have  how- 
evei  intimated,  that  if  government  will  pass  a  regula¬ 
tion,  amercing  by  fine  every  Brahmin  who  attends  a 
burning,  or  every.  Zemindar  who  permits  him  to  at- 
tenc  it,  the  piactice  cannot  possibly  long  continue  ; 
lor  that  the  ceremony,  unsanctified  by  the  presence  of 

ne  Pncsts,  will  lose  its  dignity  and  consequence  in  the 
eyes  of  the  people. 

The  civilized  world  may  expect  soon  to  hear  of  the 
abolition  of  this  opprobrium  of  a  Christian  administra¬ 
tion,  the  female  sacrifice ;  which  has  subsisted,  to  our 

certain  knowledge,  since  the  time  of  Alexander  the 
t*reat. 

4.  An  event  has  just  occurred,  which  seems,  with 
others,  to  mark  the  present  time,  as  favorable  to  our 
enceavor  to  qualify  the  rigor  of  the  Hindoo  super¬ 
In  the  course  of  the  Mahratta  war,  the  great  temple 
of  Juggernaut  in  Orissa  has  fallen  into  our  hands. 

his  temple  is  to  the  Hindoos  what  Mecca  is  to  the 
Mahometans.  It  is  resorted  to  by  pilgrims  from  every 
quarter  of  India.  It  is  the  chief  seat  of  Brahminical 
power,  and  a  strong-hold  of  their  superstition.  At  the 
annual  festival  of  the  Rutt  Jattra,  seven  hundred  thou¬ 
sand  persons  (as  has  been  computed  by  the  Pundits  in 
college)  assemble  at  this  place.  The  voluntary  deaths 
in  a  single  year,  caused  by  voluntary  devotement.S  by 
imprisonment  for  non-payment  of  the  demands  of  the 
Brahmins,  or  by  scarcity  of  provisions  for  such  a  mul¬ 
titude,  is  incredible.  The  precincts  of  the  place  are 
covered  with  bones.  Four  cross  square  (about  sixty- 
four  square  miles)  are  accounted  sacred  to  Juggernaut. 
Within  the  walls  the  priests  exercised  a  dominion  with¬ 
out  control.  From  them  there  was  no  appeal  to  civil 
law  or  natural  justice,  for  protection  of  life  or  property. 
But  these  enormities  will  not  be  permitted  under  the 
British  government.  At  the  same  time  that  we  use  n9 

t  See  Appendix  A. 

§  By  falling  under  the  wheels  of  the  rutt  or  car. 

T 


218 


MEMOIR. 


coercion  to  prevent  the  superstitions  of  the  natives,  we 
permit  a  constant  appeal  to  the  civil  power  against  in¬ 
justice,  oppression,  and  inhumanity  ;  and  it  must  have 
a  beneficial  influence  on  the  whole  Hindoo  system,  if 
we  chastise  the  enormity  of  their  superstition  at  the 
fountain  head.* 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  numerous  holydays  of  the  natives  an  impediment 
to  their  civilization. 

1.  Another  obstacle  to  the  improvement  of  the  na¬ 
tives  is  the  great  number  of  their  holydays.  These  ho¬ 
lydays  embody  their  superstition.  On  such  days,  its 
spirit  is  revived,  and  its  inhuman  practices  are  made 
familiar:  and  thus  it  acquires  strength  and  perpetuity. 
The  malignity  of  any  superstition  may  be  calculated 
almost  exactly  by  the  number  of  its  holydays,  for  the 
more  the  mind  is  enslaved  by  it,  the  more  voluminous 
will  be  its  ritual,  and  more  frequent  its  ceremonial  of 
observance. 

2.  In  the  Hindoo  calendar  there  arc  upwards  of  an 

*  The  rigor  of  the  Mahometan  faith  coerced  the  Hindoo  su¬ 
perstition  ;  and  was,  so  far,  friendly  to  humanity.  The  Hindoos 
were  prohibited  from  burning  their  women  without  official  per¬ 
mission.  Our  toleration  is  celebrated  by  some,  as  being  bound¬ 
less.  It  is  just  to  tolerate  speculative  religions  :  but  it  is  doubt¬ 
ful  whether  there  oug! it  to  be  any  toleration  of  practical  vice,  or 
of  the  shedding  of  human  blood. 

“  All  religions,”  says  Colonel  Dow,  “  must  be  tolerated  in  Ben- 
“  gal,  except  in  the  practice  of  some  inhuman  customs,  which 
“  the  Mahometans  already  have  in  a  great  measure  destroyed. 
“  We  must  not  permit  young  widows,  in  their  virtuous  enthusi- 
“  asm,  to  throw  themselves  on  the  funeral  pile  with  their  dead 
“  husbands,  nor  the  sick  and  aged  to  be  drowned,  when  their 
et  friends  despair  of  their  lives.”  Dow’s  History,  Vol.  Ill  p.  123. 

This  passage  was  written  by  Coloi\pl  Daw  upwards  of  thirty 
years  ago.  IIow  many  thousands  of  our  subjects  within  the  prov¬ 
ince  of  Bengal  alone,  have  perished  in  the  flames  and  in  the  riv¬ 
er,  since  that  period  ! 


memoir. 


219 


hundred  holydays  ;*  and  of  these  government  recognis¬ 
es  officially  a  certain  number.  In  addition  to  the  na¬ 
tive  holydays,  the  fifty-two  Christian  holydays,  or  fifty- 
two  Sundays  in  the  year,  are  (on  Christian  principles) 
generally  allowed  to  natives  employed  in  the  public 
service.  During  those  Hindoo  holydays  which  are  of¬ 
ficially  recognised,  the  public  offices  are  shut  up,  on 
account  of  the  festival  (as  it  is  termed)  of  Doora  Puja, 
of  Churruck  Puja,  of  Rutt  Jattra5f  or  of  some  other. 
Rut  great  detriment  to  the  public  service  arising  from 
the  frequent  recurrence  of  these  Saturnalia,  govern¬ 
ment  resolved  some  years  ago  to  reduce  the  number, 
id1  was  done  accordingly.  It  now  appears  that  on 
the  same  principle  that  a  few  of  them  were  cut  off,  we 
might  have  refused  our  official  recognition  of  any  :  the 
Pundits  having  unanimously  declared  that  these  holy- 
days  are  not  enjoined  by  their  sacred  books. 

.  u  1  be  ProPer  to  permit  the  people  in  general 
to  be  as  idle  as  the  circumstances  of  individuals  will 
permit :  but  their  religious  law  does  not  require  us  to 
recognise  one  of  their  holydays  officially.  To  those  na¬ 
tives  employed  in  the  public  service,  the  fifty-two  Sun¬ 
days  are  sufficient  for  rest  from  bodily  labour.!  To  give 
era  more  holydays  is  to  nurse  their  superstitions,  and 
o  promote  the  influx  of  religious  mendicants  into  in¬ 
dustrious  communities^  In  what  other  country  would 
it  be  considered  a  means  of  promoting  the  happiness  of 

the  common  people,  to  grant  them  so  great  a  portion  of 
I  Th<LBl^Tns  observe  two  hundred  and  upwards 

,  No  people  require  fewer  days  of  rest  than  thp  Hin  i  e 
they  know  nothing  of  that  corporal  exertion  and fcSfiSm  h? 

§  See  Appendix  E. 


220 


MEMOIR*. 


the  year  to  spend  In  idleness  and  dissipation  ?  The  in¬ 
dulgence  operates  here  as  it  would  in  any  other  coun¬ 
try  ;  it  encourages  extravagance,  licentious  habits,  and 
neglect  of  business  among  themselves  ;  and  it  very  se¬ 
riously  impedes  the  business  of  the  state,  and  deranges 
commercial  negotiation. 


PART  III. 


Qj  1HE  PROGRESS  ALREADY  MADE  IN  CIVILIZING  THE 
NATIVES  OF  INDIA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Of  the  extension  of  Christianity  in  India ,  under  the  in¬ 
fluence  of  episcopal  jurisdiction. 

1 .  A  sentiment  has  for  some  time  prevailed  in  Eng¬ 
land  very  unfavourable  to  the  measure  of  attempting: 
the  improvement  of  the  Hindoos.  It  has  been  said 
.at  their  Prejudices  are  invincible  ;  and  that  the  Brah¬ 
mins  cannot  receive  the  Christian  religion.  If  the 
same  assertion  had  been  made  of  our  forefathers  in  Bri¬ 
tain,  and  of  the  Druids  their  priests,  it  would  not  have 
been  more  contrary  to  truth.  It  is  now  time  to  disclose 
to  the  English  nation  some  facts  respecting  the  preva- 
lence  oi  the  Christian  religion  in  India,  which  certainly 
wni  not  oe  received  with  indifference. 

,  2*  /  religion  of  Christ  has  been  professed  by  Hin¬ 
doos  in  India  from  time  immemorial ;  and  thousands  of 
Brahmins  have  been  converted  to  the  Christian  faith. 
J--A  this  time  there  are  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  fif¬ 
ty  thousand  natives  in  one  district  alone  on  the  coast  of 
Malabar  who  profess  that  religion,  and  who  live  under  a 
legular  canonical  discipline,  occupying  one  hundred 
and  nineteen  churches. 

o.  It  is  probable  that  the  Christian  faith  has  been 
xnown  m  India  since  the  time  of  the  Apostles*  But 

*  Eusebius  relates  that  Panfsenus,  of  Alexandria  vUPpH  rn  v 

DdofSt^Sl 185 1  a"d.there  f°u.nd  Christians  who  had  the  Got 
pel  of  St.  Matthew  m  Hebrew,  which  they  informed  him  they  hart 
i  eceived  from  St.  Bartholomew.  He  carried  a  copy  of  it  to  A  fi/ 
andna,  where  it  existed  m  the  time  of  Jerome.  At  the  council  S 
l  ies  in  the  year  325  the  primate  of  India  was  present,  and  s»E 

T  £ 


222 


MEMOIR. 


we  have  authentic  historical  record  for  the  following 
particulars.  In  the  fifth  century  a  Christian  bishop 
from  Antioch,  accompanied  by  a  small  colony  of  Syrians* 
arrived  in  India,  and  preached  the  Gospel  in  Malabar. 
<£  They  made  at  first  some  proselytes  among  the  Brah- 
“  mins  and  Nairs,  and  were,  on  that  account,  much  res- 
“  pected  by  the  native  princes.”* 

4.  When  the  Portuguese  first  arrived  in  India,  they 
were  agreeably  surprised  to  find  a  hundred  Chris¬ 
tian  churches  on  the  coast  of  Malabar.  But  when 
they  had  become  acquainted  with  the  purity  and  sim¬ 
plicity  of  their  doctrine,  they  were  offended.  They 
were  yet  more  indignant  when  they  found  that  these 
Hindoo  Christians  maintained  the  order  and  discipline 
of  a  regular  church  under  episcopal  jurisdiction;  and  that 
for  thirteen  hundred  years  past,  they  had  enjoyed  a  suc¬ 
cession  of  bishops  appointed  by  the  patriarchal  see  of  An¬ 
tioch.  Mar  Joseph  was  the  bishop,  who  filled  the  Hindoo 
see  of  Malabar  at  that  period.  The  Portuguese  used 
every  art  to  persuade  him  to  acknowledge  the  supre¬ 
macy  of  the  pope  ;  but  in  vain.  He  was  a  man  of  sin¬ 
gular  piety  and  fortitude,  and  declaimed  with  great 
energy  against  the  errors  of  the  Romish  church. 
But  when  the  power  of  the  Portuguese  became  suf¬ 
ficient  for  their  purpose,  they  invaded  his  bishopric, 
and  sent  the  bishop  bound  to  Lisbon.  A  synod  was 

scribed  his  name.  In  the  year  following  Frumentius  was  conse¬ 
crated  primate  of  India  by  Athanasius  at  Alexandria.  P'rumenti- 
us  resided  in  Hindostan  for  a  long  period,  and  founded  many 
churches.  He  acquired  great  influence  among  the  natives,  and 
was  appointed  guardian  of  one  of  their  kings  during  his  minority. 
See  Eusebius,  Hist.  Eccl.  1,  3,  c.  1. — Sozomenes,  1.  2 ■  c.  24  ;  and 
Socrates,  Hist.  Eccl.  1.  I,.c.  £9. 

In  the  year  530  Cosmus  the  Egyptian  merchant,  who  had  trav¬ 
elled  through  the  greatest  part  of  the  Indian  peninsula,  found 
in  the  Dekhun  and  in  Ceylon,  a  great  many  churches  and  several 
bishops. 

*  “  Many  of  them  to  this  day  preserve  the  manners  and  mode 
“  of  life  of  the  Brahmins,  as  to  cleanliness,  and  abstaining  from 
“  animal  food.”  Asiat.  Res.  Vol  VII.  page  368.  “  The  bulk  of 

“  the  St.  Thome  Christians  consists  mostly  of  converts  from  the 
“  Brahmins  and  Shoudren  cast ;  and  not  as  the  new  Christians,  or 
“  prosefites  made  by  the  Portuguese  missionaries,  of  the  lowest. 
J4  tribes.”  Asiat.  lies.  Yol.  YU-  page  381. 


MEMOIR. 


223 


convened  at  Diamper  in  Malabar,  on  the  26th  June, 
1599,  at  which  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  clergy  of  his 
diocese  appeared.  They  were  accused  of  the  following 
opinions,  which  were  by  their  adversaries  accounted 
heretical ;  “  That  they  had  married  wives ;  that  they 
“  owned  but  two  sacraments,  Baptism  and  the  Lord’s 
“Supper;  that  they  denied  Transubstantiation  ;  that 
“  they  neither  invoked  saints  nor  believed  in  purgato- 
“  ry  ;  and,  that  they  had  no  other  orders  or  names  of 
“  dignity  in  the  church  than  bishop  and  deacon.”* 

These  tenets  they  were  called  on  to  abjure,  or  to  suf¬ 
fer  instant  suspension  from  all  church  benefices.  It 
was  also  decreed  that  all  the  Syrian  and  Chaldean  books 
in  their  churches,  and  all  records  in  the  episcopal  pal¬ 
ace,  should  be  burnt ;  in  order,  said  the  inquisitors, 
“  that  no  pretended  apostolical  monuments  may  re- 
“  main.”t 

5..  Notwithstanding  these  violent  measures,  a  great 
body  of  the  Indian  Christians  resolutely  defended  their 
faith,  and  finally  triumphed  over  all  opposition.  Some 
shew  of  union  with  the  Romish  church  was  at  first  pre- 

*  Conferences  with  Malabarian  Brahmins,  page  15 :  printed  at 
London  1719.  [See  The  History  of  the  Church  of  Malabar,  trans¬ 
lated  from  the  Portuguese  into  English  by  Michael  Geddes, 
Chancellor  of  the  Cathedral  Church  of  Sarum.  London,  1694. 
The  Synod  of  Diamper  met  on  the  20th  of  June,  and  closed  its 
session  on  the  26th.  The  Acts  and  Decrees  of  this  Synod  are 
subjoined  to  that  History.  Decree  XIV  of  Action  III.  con¬ 
demns  “  The  Book  of  Orders,”  used  in  the  Malabarian  Church, 
which  contains  the  last  article  abovementioned,  asserting,  “  That 
“  there  are  only  two  orders,  Diaconate  and  Priesthood.” 

M.  V.  La  Croze,  who  wrote  his  celebrated  History  nearly  a 
century  ago  [1723, j  considered  the  discovery  of  this  very  an¬ 
cient  Church  (almost  all  the  tenets  of  which  agree  with  those  of 
the  Protestants)  as  deserving  the  attention  of  all  good  men  :  “  Ma 
“  seconde  et  derniere  Remarque  merite,  ce  me  semble,  1’  atten- 
“  tion  de  toutes  les  personnes  qui  aiment  sincerement  la  Religion. 
“  Nous  trouvons  ici  une  Eglise  tres-ancienne,  dont  presque  tous 
“  les  Dogmes  conveniennent  avec  ceux  de  la  Religion  reformee. 
“  Les  Chretiens  Orientaux,  ....  sous  l’  obeissance  d’  un  Patri- 
“  arche  independant  d’  1’  Empire  Romain,  et  n’  ayant  aucun  com- 
“  mere  eavec  lui,  ....  ignorent  presque  toutes  les  Traditions  Ro- 
“  mainesqui  sont  rejeltdes  par  les  Protestants.”  Histoire  d u 
Christianisme  des  Indes,  ii.  90.]  Amer.  Edit. 

t  See  Appendix 


224 


MEMOIR* 


tended,  through  terror  of  the  Inquisition ;  but  a  con¬ 
gress  Avas  held  by  them  on  the  22d  of  May,  1653,  at  Al- 
angatta;  when  they  formally  separated  from  that  com¬ 
munion. t  They  compose  at  this  day  the  thirty-two 
schismatic  churches  of  Malabar  ;  so  called  by  the  Ro¬ 
man  Catholics  as  resembling  the  Protestant  schism  in 
Europe.  At  this  time  their  number  is  about  fifty  thou¬ 
sand. 

These  churches  soon  afterwards  addressed  a  letter  to 
the  Patriarch  of  Antioch,  which  was  forwarded  by  means 
of  the  Dutch  government,  and  published  at  Leyden  in 
1714;  in  which  they  request  “  that  a  spiritual  guide 
may  be  sent,  together  with  such  men  as  are  versed  in 
interpreting  the  holy  Scriptures. But  no  spiritual 
guide  was  ever  sent.§ 

The  province  of  Malabar  now  forms  part  of  the  Bri¬ 
tish  dominions ;  and  divine  Providence  hath  placed 
these  churches  under  our  government. 

6.  The  manners  of  these  Christians  are  truly  simple 
and  primitive.  Every  traveller  who  has  visited  the 
churches  in  the  mountains  takes  pleasure  in  describ¬ 
ing  the  chaste  and  innocent  lives  of  the  native  Chris¬ 
tians.  The  congregations  support  each  other,  and  form 
a  kind  of  Christian  republic.  The  clergy  and  elders 
settle  all  disputes  among  members  of  the  community ; 
and  the  discipline,  for  the  preservation  of  pure  morals, 
is  very  correct,  and  would  do  honour  to  any  Protestant 
church  in  Europe.^! 

f  Annales  Mission,  page  193. 

+  Malabarian  Conferences,  1719.  Preface. 

§  In  the  year  1752,  some  bishops  were  sent  from  Antioch  to 
consecrate  by  episcopal  ordination,  a  native  priest,  one  of  their 
number.  The  old  man,  I  hear,  is  yet  alive.  The  episcopal  re¬ 
sidence  is  at  Narnatte,  ten  miles  inland  from  Porca. 

T{  At  certain  seasons,  the  A-gapje,  or  love  feasts,  are  celebrated, 
as  in  primitive  times.  On  such  occasions  they  prepare  delicious 
cakes,  called  Appain,  made  of  bananas,  honey,  and  rice-flour. 
The  people  assemble  in  the  church-yard,  and,  arranging  them¬ 
selves  in  rows,  each  spreads  before  him  a  plaintain  leaf.  When 
this  is  done,  the  clergyman,  standing  in  the  church-door,  pro¬ 
nounces  the  benediction  ;  and  the  overseers  of  the  church,  walk¬ 
ing  through  between  the  rows,  gives  to  each  his  portion.  “  It 
c‘  is  certainly  an  affecting  scene,  and  capable  of  elevating  the 
*  heart,  to  behold  six  or  seven  thousand  persons,  of  both  sexes 


MEMOIR. 


225 


7.  The  climate  of  Malabar  is  delightful ;  and  the  face 
of  the  country,  which  is  verdant  and  picturesque,  is 
adorned  by  the  numerous  churches  of  the  Christians. 
Their  churches  are  not,  in  general,  so  small  as  the 
country  parish  churches  in  England.  Many  of  them 
are  sumptuous  buildings,*  and  some  of  them  are  visi¬ 
ble  from  the  sea.  This  latter  circumstance  is  noticed 
incidentally  by  a  writer  who  lately  visited  the  country: 
“  Having  kept  as  close  to  the  land  as  possible,  the 
whole  coast  of  Malabar  appeared  before  us  in  the 
“  form  of  a  green  amphitheatre.  Ac  one  time  we  dis- 
“  covered  a  district  entirely  covered  with  cocoa-nut- 
“  trees  ;  and  immediately  after,  a  river  winding  through 
“  a  delightful  vale,  at  the  bottom  of  which  it  discharg- 
<(  ed  itself  into  the  sea.  In  one  place  appeared  a  mul- 
“  titude  of  people  employed  in  fishing  ;  in  another,  a 
u  snow-white  church  bursting  forth  to  the  view  from 
u  amidst  the  thick-leaved  trees.  While  we  were  en= 
u  joying  these  delightful  scenes  with  the  early  morn- 
“  ing,  a  gentle  breeze,  which  blew  from  the  shore, 
perfumed  the  air  around  us  with  the  agreeable  smell 
u  wafted  from  the  cardamon,  pepper,  beetel,  and  other 
“  aromatic  herbs  and  plants. ”t 

“  and  of  all  ages,  assembled  and  receiving  together,  with  the  ut- 
“  most  reverence  and  devotion,  their  Appam,  the  pledge  of  mu- 
“  tual  union  and  love.”  3artolomeo,  page  424. 

Compare  the  amiable  lives  and  character  of  these  Christian 
Hindoos  with  the  rites  of  their  uncontroverted  countrymen  in 
Bengal  described  in  Appendix  B. 

*  “  The  great  number  of  such  sumptuous  buildings,”  says 
Mr.  Wrede,  “  as  the  St.  Thome  Christians  possessed  in  the  in- 
“  land  parts  of  the  Travancore  and  Cochin  dominions,  is  really 
“  surprising  ;  since  some  of  them,  upon  a  moderate  calculation, 
“  must  have  cost  upwards  of  one  lack  of  rupees,  and  few  less 
“than  half  that  sum.”  Asiat.  lies.  Vol.  VII.  p.  380.  “Almost 
“  all  the  temples  in  the  southern  Malabar,  of  which  I  had  occa- 
“  sion  to  observe  more  than  forty,  were  built  in  the  same  style, 
“  and  nearly  oil  the  same  plan.  The  facade  with  little  columns 
“  (evidently  the  style  of  architecture  prevalent  in  Asia  Minor  and 
“  Syria)  being  every  where  the  same.”  Ibid.  379. 

In  the  year  1790,  Tippoo  the  Mahometan  destroyed  a  great 
number  of  the  Christian  churches,  and  a  general  conflagration  of 
the  Christian  villages  marked  the  progress  of  his  destroying  host. 
Ten  thousand  Christians  lost  their  lives  during  the  war.  Bartol¬ 
omeo,  page  149. 

|  Bartolomeo,  p.  425. 


226 


MEMOIR. 


A  snow-white  church  bursting  on  the  view  from, 
amidst  the  trees  !  Can  this  be  a  scene  in  the  land  of 
the  Hindoos ;  where  even  a  church  for  Europeans  is 
so  rarely  found  ?  And  can  the  persons  repairing  to 
these  snow-white  churches  be  Hindoos ;  that  peculiar 
people  who  are  supposed  to  be  incapable  of  receiving 
the  Christian  religion  or  its  civilizing  principles  ?  Yes, 
they  are  Hindoos,  and  now  u  a  peculiar  people,”  some 
of  them  formerly  Brahmins  of  Malabar  ;  who,  before 
means  were  used  for  their  conversion,  may  have  pos¬ 
sessed  as  invincible  prejudices  against  the  religion  of 
Christ  as  the  Brahmins  of  Benares,  or  of  Juggernaut. 

Whatever  good  effects  have  been  produced  by  the 
Christian  religion  in  Malabar,  may  also  be  produced 
in  Bengal,  and  in  every  other  province  of  Hindostan. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Of  the  extension  of  Christianity  in  India  by  the  labors 
of  Protestant  Missionaries. 

1.  In  the  bill  brought  into  Parliament  in  1793  for 
communicating  Christian  instruction  to  our  Asiatic 
subjects,  there  was  a  clause  for  an  “  Establishment  of 
“  Missionaries  and  Schoolmasters.”  Such  an  estab¬ 
lishment  (if  it  ever  should  be  necessary)  might  seem 
more  properly  to  follow ,  than  to  precede,  the  recogni¬ 
tion  of  our  national  church  in  Hindostan.  It  is  prob¬ 
able,  however,  that  the  proposition  for  sending  mis¬ 
sionaries  was  less  favorably  received  on  account  of  the 
reigning  prejudice  against  the  name  and  character  of 
“  missionary.”  In  England  it  is  not  professional  in 
church  or  state.  No  honor  or  emolument  is  attached 
to  it.  The  character  and  purpose  of  it  are  doubtful, 
and  the  scene  of  action  remote.  Even  the  propriety  of 
sending  missionaries  any  where  has  been  called  into 
question. 

2.  It  is  not,  however,  those  who  send  missionaries, 
but  those  to  whom  they  are  sent ,  tvho  have  a  right  to 
give  an  opinion  in  this  matter. 


MEMOIR. 


22r 

The  same  spirit  which  sent  missionaries  to  Britain 
in  the  fourth  century  will  continue  to  send  missiona¬ 
ries  to  the  heathen  world  to  the  end  of  time,  by  the  es¬ 
tablished  church,  or  by  her  religious  societies. 

3.  Wherever  the  Christian  missionary  comes,  he  is 
well  received.  Ignorance  ever  bows  to  learning  :  but 
if  there  be  a  desire  to  impart  this  learning,  what  barba¬ 
rian  will  turn  away  ?  The  priests  will  murmur  when 
the  Christian  teacher  speaks  as  one  having  authority  ; 
but  “  the  common  people  will  hear  him  gladly.’* 
Whether  in  the  subterranean  hut  of  frozen  Greenland, 
or  under  the  shade  of  a  banian-tree  in  burning  India,  a 
Christian  missionary  surrounded  by  the  listening  na¬ 
tives,  is  an  interesting  sight ;  no  less  grateful  to  hu¬ 
manity  than  to  Christian  charity. 

4.  But  who  is  this  missionary?  He  is  such  as  Swartz 
in  India,  or  Brainerd  in  America,  or  the  Moravian  in 
Labrador ;  one  who  leaving  his  country  and  kindred, 
and  renouncing  honour  and  emolument,  embraces  a  life 
of  toil,  difficulty,  and  danger;  and  contented  with  the 
fame  of  instructing  the  ignorant,  “  looks  for  the  recom- 
pence  of  eternal  reward.” 

There  is  a  great  difference  between  a  civilizing  me¬ 
chanic  and  an  apostolic  missionary.  A  mechanic  of 
decent  morals  is  no  doubt  useful  among  barbarians. 
The  few  around  him  learn  something  of  his  morals  with 
his  trade.  And  it  is  the  duty  of  civilized  states  to  use 
such  means  for  improving  the  barbarous  portions  of  the 
human  race. 

But  the  apostolic  missionary,  who  has  studied  the 
language  and  genius  of  the  people,  is  a  blessing  of  a 
higher  order.  His  heavenly  doctrine  and  its  moral  in¬ 
fluence  extend,  like  the  light  of  the  sun,  over  multitudes 
in  a  short  time  ;  giving  life,  peace,  and  joy,  enlarging 
the  conceptions,  and  giving  birth  to  all  the  Christian 
charities.  How  shall  we  estimate  the  sum  of  human 
happiness  produced  by  the  voice  of  Swartz  alone  !  Com¬ 
pared  with  him,  as  a  dispenser  of  happiness,  what  are 
a  thousand  preachers  of  philosophy  among  a  refined 
people  ! 

5.  Some  of  the  English  think  that  we  ought  not  “  to 
disturb  the  faith  of  the  natives.”  But  some  of  the  Hin- 


228 


MEMOIR. 


doo  Rajahs  think  differently.  The  king  of  Tanjore 
requested  Mr.  Swartz  to  disturb  the  faith  of  his  wicked 
subjects  by  every  means,  and  to  make  them,  if  possible, 
honest  and  industrious  men.  Mr.  Swartz  endeavoured 
to  do  so,  and  his  services  were  acknowledged  by  the 
English  government  at  Madras,*  as  weil  as  by  the 
King  of  Tanjore.  In  the  year  1787  ,  “  the  King  of  Tan- 
“  jore  made  an  appropriation  forever  of  land  of  the  year- 
“  ly  income  of  five  hundred  pagodas,  for  the  support  of 
“  the  Christian  missionaries  in  his  dominions.”} 

6.  In  the  debate  in  1793,  on  the  proposal  for  sending 
missionaries  to  India,  some  observation  was  made  on 
Mr.  Swartz,  honourable  to  himself  as  a  man,  but  un¬ 
favourable  to  his  objects  as  a  missionary.  The  paper 
containing  this  speech  reached  Mr.  Swartz  in  India, 
and  drew  from  him  his  famous  Apology,  published  by 
the  Society  for  promoting  Christian  Knowledge.  Per¬ 
haps  no  Christian  defence  has  appeared  in  these  latter 
ages  more  characteristic  of  the  apostolic  simplicity  and 
primitive  energy  of  truth,  than  this  apology  of  the  ven¬ 
erable  Swartz. 

Without  detailing  the  extraordinary  success  of  him¬ 
self  and  his  brethren  in  converting  thousands  of  the  na¬ 
tives  to  the  Christian  religion,  a  blessing  which  some 
may  not  be  able  to  appreciate  ;  he  notices  other  cir¬ 
cumstances  of  its  beneficial  influence,  which  all  must 
understand. 

His  fellow  missionary,  u  Mr.  Gericke,  at  the  time 
<c  the  war  broke  out  at  Cuddalore,  was  the  instrument 
(l  in  the  hand  of  Providence,  by  which  Cuddalore  was 
<l  saved  from  plunder  and  bloodshed  He  saved  many 
*l  English  gentlemen  from  becoming  prisoners  to  Hy- 
“  der  Ali,  which  Lord  Macartney  kindly  acknowled- 
“  ged.” 

Mr.  Swartz  twice  saved  the  fort  of  Tanjore.  When 
the  credit  of  the  English  was  lost,  and  when  the  cred¬ 
it  of  the  Rajah  was  lost,  on  the  view  of  an  approaching 
enemy,  the  people  of  the  country  refused  to  supply  the 
fort  with  provisions  ;  and  the  streets  were  covered  with 

*  By  Lord  Macartney  and  General  Coote. 

f  See  Account,  of  Proceedings  of  Society  for  Promoting  Chris¬ 
tian  Knowledge,  for  1788. 


MEMOIR. 


229 


the  dead.  But  Mr.  Swartz  went  forth  and  stood  at  the 
gate,  and  at  his  word  they  brought  in  a  plentiful  sup- 
ply. 

Mr.  Swartz,  at  different  times,  aided  the  English 
government  in  the  collection  of  revenues  from  the  re¬ 
fractory  districts.  He  was  appointed  guardian  to  the 
family  of  the  deceased  King  of  Tanjore  ;  and  he  was 
employed  repeatedly  as  mediator  between  the  English 
government  and  the  country  powers.  On  one  occa¬ 
sion,  when  the  natives  doubted  the  purpose  and  good 
faith  of  the  English,  they  applied  to  Mr.  Swartz  ;  “  Sir, 
u  ^  you  send  a  person  to  us,  send  a  person  who  has 
“  learned  all  your  Ten  Commandments.'’* 

7.  Some  ol  the  English  think  that  we  ought  not  to 
disturb  the  faith  of  the  Hindoos  !  After  the*  apostolic 
Swartz  had  labored  for  fifty  years  in  evangelizing  the 
Hindoos,  so  sensible  were  they  of  the  blessing,  that 


*  See  Society  Proceedings  for  1792,  page  114.  Should  Mr. 
Swartz  s  name  be  mentioned  in  any  future  discussion,  t.he  honour 
of  the  English  natisn  is  pledged  to  protect  his  fame  The  bish¬ 
ops  and  clergy  of  England,  in  their  account  of  proceedings  of  the 
“Society  for  promoting  Ci.ristian  Knowledge,”  for  1792,  have 
sanctioned  the  following  character  of  Mr.  Swartz. 

“  He  is  an  example  of  all  that  is  great  and  good  in  the  character 
of  a  Christian  missionary.  He  hath  hazarded  his  life  through 
,ser‘.cs  °fye^rs  f°r  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
it  *i  °e"aviour>  while  it  has  endeared  him  to  the  common  or¬ 
ders  of  men,  h  s  procured  him  admission  before  the  throne  of 
the  proudest  monarch  of  the  east.  There  do  we  find  this  worthy 
servant  of  God,  pleading  the  cause  of  Christianity,  and  interce¬ 
ding  for  lus  mission;  and  doing  it  without  offence.  There  do 
„  Yehnd  h>m  renouncing  every  personal  consideration;  and,  in 
ci  th£|tI  l!e  spirit  of  the  divine  Lawgiver,  choosing  rather  to  suffer 
,  aJ*uction  with  the  people  of  God,  than  to  enjoy  any  pleasures  or 
c  istinctions  which  this  world  could  afford  him  ;  esteeming  the 
reproach  of  Christ  and  the  advancement  of  a  despised  religion 
far  greater  riches  than  Indian  treasures.” 

See  Hi-  Glasse’s  Charge  to  a  Missionary  proceeding  to  India, 
it  will  not  be  foreign  to  the  subject  of  this  Memoir  to  insert  another 
passage  of  that  Charge  : 

“  Happy  will  it  be,  if  our  conquests  in  India  should  open  the 
way  for  a  further  introduction  of  the  Gospel,  and  for  the  exten- 
sion  and  enlargement  of  Christ’s  kingdom.  What  a  lustre  would 
such  an  accession  give  to  the  British  conquests  in  the  Eastern 
«  "'orl(!,-when  it  should  appear,  that  we  have  been  conquering,  not 
tor  oui  selves  alone,  but  for  Him  alto  in  whom  we  believe .” 


230 


MEMOIR. 


bis  death  was  considered  as  a  public  calamity.  An  in¬ 
numerable  multitude  attended  the  funeral.  The  Hin¬ 
doo  Rajah  “  shed  a  flood  of  tears  over  the  body,  and 
“  covered  it  with  a  gold  cloth.”*  His  memory  is  still 
blessed  among  the  people.  The  King  of  Tanjore  has 
lately  written  to  the  bishops  of  the  English  church,  re¬ 
questing  that  a  monument  of  marble  may  be  sent  to 
him,  “  in  order,”  he  adds,  “  that  it  may  be  erected  in 
“  the  church  which  is  in  my  capital,  to  perpetuate  the 
<c  memory  of  the  late  Rev.  Mr.  Swartz,  and  to  mani- 
“  fest  the  esteem  I  have  for  the  character  of  that  great 
“  and  good  man,  and  the  gratitude  I  owe  to  him,  my 
“  father  and  my  friend.” 

8.  But  whence  was  this  Swartz  ?  and  under  what 
sanction  did  he  and  bis  predecessors  exercise  their 
ministry  as  Christian  preachers  to  the  heathen  ? 

The  first  person  appointed  to  superintend  a  Protest¬ 
ant  mission  in  India  was  Bartholomew  Ziegenbalgius, 
a  man  of  considerable  learning  and  of  eminent  piety, 
educated  at  the  University  of  Haile  in  Germany.  Hav¬ 
ing  been  ordained  by  the  learned  Burmannus,  Bishop 
of  Zealand,  in  his  twenty-third  year,  he  sailed  for  In¬ 
dia  in  1705.  A  complete  century  will  have  revolved 
in  October  of  this  year,  since  the  mission  in  India  be¬ 
gan.  Immediately  on  his  arrival,  he  applied  himself  to 
the  study  of  the  language  of  the  country,  and  with  such 
success,  that  in  a  few  years  he  obtained  a  classical  know¬ 
ledge  of  it ;  and  the  colloquial  tongue  became  as  fa¬ 
miliar  to  him  as  his  own.  His  fluent  orations  addres¬ 
sed  to  the  natives,  and  his  frequent  conferences  with 
the  Brahmins,!  were  attended  with  almost  immediate 
success  ;  and  a  Christian  church  was  founded  in  the 
second  year  of  his  ministry,!  which  has  been  extending 
Its  limits  to  the  present  time. 

*  Serfogee  Maha  Rajah  of  Tanjore.  See  Society  Proceedings 
•for  1801,  p.  141.  Let  us  hail  this  act  as  the  emblem  of  the  whole 
Hindoo  superstition  bending  to  the  Christian  faith. 

j  A  volume  of  these  conferences  was  published  in  London  in 
1719,  8vo. 

[±  A  building  was  now  erected  at  Tranquebar,  at  the  expense 
of  250  perdous,  and  was  named  JVev>  Jerusalem.  It  stood  with¬ 
out  the  town,  “  in  the  midst  of  a  multitude  of  Malabarians,  near 
the  high  road,  built  all  of  stone.”  It  was  consecrated  August  14, 


MEMOIR* 


231 


9.  During  his  residence  in  India  he  maintained  a  cor¬ 
respondence  with  the  King  of  England  and  other  prin¬ 
ces,  and  with  many  of  the  learned  men  on  the  conti¬ 
nent.  In  the  year  1714,  he  returned  to  Europe  for  a 
few  months  on  the  affairs  of  the  mission.  On  this  oc¬ 
casion  he  was  honored  with  an  audience  by  his  Majesty 
George  the  First.  He  was  also  invited  to  attend  a  sit- 
Ung  of  the  Bishops  in  the  «  Society  for  promoting 
Clmstian  Knowledge  where  he  was  received  with 
an  eloquent  address  in  the  Latin  language  to  which 
he  answered  in  the  Tamul  tongue  ;  and  then  delivered 
a  copy  of  his  speech  translated  into  Latin. 

,.  ,l0:.The  grand  work  to  which  the  King  and  the  Eng¬ 
lish*  bishops  had  been  long  directing  his  attention,  was 
a  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  the  Tamul  or  Mala- 
banan  language. 

This  indeed  was  the  grand  work  ;  for  wherever  the 
Scriptures  are  translated  into  the  vernacular  tongue, 
ant.  aie  open  and  common  to  all,  inviting  enquiry  and 
causing  discussion,  they  cannot  remain  a  dead  letter; 

L  *ey  produce  fruit  of  themselves,  even  without  a  teach- 

euns  iann!lrECnCe.f  a?reat  concourse  of  Heathens,  Mal.om- 
etans,  and  Chi  istians  !  to  whom  a  sermon  was  preached  botli  in 

CZ  J i  UeSe  anf  T  Mulabanck-  From  that  time  the  missionaries 
statedly  preached  in  this  church  three  times  a  week  in  both  these 

languages.  Of  their  indefatigable  diligence,  in  this  interesting 
mission,  some  uda-ment  mav  h,  Ja  a  ’  _  •  ,  jesting 


.  *i  •  i  .  •  ,  ,  language  ol  this  country  is  fallen')  I 

have  explained  hitherto  the  Articles  of  the  Christian  Faith  in 

“  Tarick  Am-muensisayS  »ep*“ons*  These  I  dictated  to  a  Mala- 

“  word’^r  i  ’  fno  e"  g0t  them  by  heart  word  by 
1  e  labors  of  these  pious  missionaries  were  so  blest 

“  '“S'''0"*!  erected 

Niecampius,  Hist.  Miss.  Orient  nasre  1Q0  fTKia  a  i  i 
was  delivered  by  W.liiak  NtcBofs?!  M  lieS-  ofsfie? 
f  bi.'  aIf.emb!ir  of  the  Society  for  promoting  Christian  Kno»i 
Eaft'  Indi,.Pintnd  m  ltfoAccmnt  of  ,,le  a™sh  Mission  to  the 
!'  mi.”  ^  1  ’  a"d  there  dalei1  “  Oecenther  29. 


232 


MEMOIR. 


er.  When  a  heathen  views  the  word  of  God  in  all  its 
parts,  and  hears  it  addressing  him  in  his  own  familiar 
tongue,  his  conscience  responds,  “  This  is  the  word  of 
“  God.”  The  learned  man  who  produces  a  translation 
of  the  Bible  into  anew  language,  is  a  greater  benefac¬ 
tor  to  mankind  than  the  prince  who  founds  an  empire. 
The  “  incorruptible  seed  of  the  word  of  God”  can  nev¬ 
er  die.  After  ages  have- revolved,  it  is  still  producing 
new  accessions  to  truth  and  human  happiness. 

So  diligent  in  his  studies  was  this  eminent  mission¬ 
ary,  that  before  the  year  1719,  he  had  completed  a 
translation  of  the  whole  Scriptures  in  the  Tamul 
tongue  ;f  and  had  also  composed  a  grammar  and  dic¬ 
tionary  of  the  same  language,  which  remain  with  us  to 
this  day. 

1 1.  The  peculiar  interest  taken  by  King  George  the 
First  in  this  primary  endeavour  to  evangelize  the  Hin¬ 
doos,  will  appear  from  the  following  letters  addressed 
to  the  missionaries  by  his  Majesty. 

George  by  the  Grace  of  God ,  King  of  Great  Britain, 
u  France  and  Ireland ,  Defender  of  the  Faith ,  &c.  To 
(t  the  Reverend  and  Learned  Bartholomew  Ziegenbal- 
“  gius  and  John  Ernest  Grundlerus,  Missionaries  at 
u  T'ranquebar  in  the  East  Lidies. 

11  REVEREND  AND  BELOVED, 

“  Your  letters  dated  the  20th  of  January  of  the  present 
(l  year,  were  most  welcome  to  us  ;  not  only  because  the 
“  work  undertaken  by  you  of  converting  the  heathen  to 
“  the  Christian  faith,  doth  by  the  grace  of  God  prosper, 
“  but  also  because  that  in  this  our  kingdom  such  a 
“  laudable  zeal  for  the  promotion  of  the  Gospel  prevails. 

j-  Like  Wickliffi-’s  Bible  it  has  been  the  father  of  many  versions, 
[Mr.  Ziegenbalgh,  in  one  of  his  Letters,  having- mentioned  Ma¬ 
dras,  Vi tagapatnam,  Bombay,  &c.  observes,  “  In  all  these  places 
“  the  Damulian  (Tamul)  is  the  current  language,  and  conse- 
“  quently  the  fittest  vehicle  for  conveying  the  Christian  Truths 
“  to  these  people.”  The  whole  JVew  Testament,  in  the  Damulian 
language,  was  printed  for  the  benefit  of  the  Malabarians,  in  1714. 
A  cony  of  this  Version  is  in  the  Library  of  Harvard  College. 

Edit.] 


MEMOIR. 


223 


“  We  pray  you  may  be  endued  with  health  and 
u  strength  of  body,  that  you  may  long  continue  to  fulfil 
“your  ministry  with  good  success  ;  of  which,  as  we 
shall  be  lejoiced  to  hear,  so  you  w'ill  always  find  us 
u  ready  to  succour  you  in  whatever  may  tend  to  pro- 
“  mote  y°ur  work  and  to  excite  your  zeal.  We  assure 
}  ou  ot  the  continuance  of  our  royal  favour.”* 


“  GEORGE  R. 

“  Hattorf.” 


.  l2‘  rhe  .King  continued  to  cherish  with  much  soli¬ 
citude  the  interests  of  the  mission  after  the  death  of 
Ziegenbalgius ;  and  in  ten  years  from  the  date  of  the 
foiegomg  letter,  a  second  was  addressed  to  the  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  mission,  by  his  Majesty. 

C£  reverend  and  beloved, 

“  From  your  letters,  dated  Tranquebar,  the  12th  Sep- 
•  tembcr,  1725,  which  some  time  since  came  to  hand, 
we  received  much  pleasure  ;  since  by  them  we  are 
lmormed  not  only  of  your  zealous  exertions  in  the 
prosecution  of  the  work  committed  to  you,  but  also  of 
the  happy  success  which  has  hitherto  attended  it,  and 
which  hath  been  graciously  given  of  God. 

..  “We  return  you  thanks  for  these  accounts,  and  it 
will  be  acceptable  to  us,  if  vou  continue  tn  m rr» m  n  _ 


2  54- 


memoir. 


“  its  perpetuity  may  not  fail  in  generations  to 
(i  come."* 

“  Given  at  our  Palace  at  St.  James’s,") 

“  the  23d  February,  1727",  in  theC  «  GEORGE  R.” 

“  13th  Year  of  our  Reign.  j 

13.  The  English  nation  will  receive  these  letters 
(now  sent  back  in  the  name  of  the  Hindoos)  with  that 
reverence  and  affectionate  regard,  which  are  due  to  the 
memory  of  the  royal  author,  considering  them  as  a  me¬ 
morial  of  the  nation’s  past  concern  for  the  welfare  of 
the  natives,  and  as  a  pledge  of  our  future  care. 

Providence  hath  been  pleased  to  grant  the  prayer  of 
the  King,  “  that  the  work  might  not  fail  in  generations 
to  come.”  After  the  first  missionary  Ziegenbalgius 
had  finished  his  course,  he  was  succeeded  by  other 
learned  and  zealous  men  ;  and  lastly,  by  the  Apostle  of 
the  East,  the  venerable  Swartz,  who,  during  the  period 
of  half  a  century, f  has  fulfilled  a  laborious  ministry 
among  the  natives  of  different  provinces,  and  illumi¬ 
nated  many  a  dark  region  with  the  light  of  the  Gos¬ 
pel. 

14.  The  pious  exertions  of  the  King  for  the  diffusion 
of  religious  blessings  among  the  natives  of  India,  seem 
to  have  been  rewarded  by  heaven  in  temporal  blessings 
to  his  own  subjects  in  their  intercourse  tvith  the  East; 
by  leading  them  onward  in  a  continued  course  of  pros¬ 
perity  and  glory,  and  by  granting  to  them  at  length  the 
entire  dominion  of  the  peninsula  of  India. 

15.  But  these  royal  epistles  are  not  the  only  evangelic 
documents  of  high  authority  in  the  hands  of  the  Hin¬ 
doos.  They  are  in  possession  of  letters  written  by  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  of  the  same  reign  who 
supported  the  interests  of  the  mission  with  unexampled 
liberality,  affection,  and  zeal.  These  letters  which  are 
many  in  number,  are  all  written  in  the  Latin  language. 
The  following  is  a  translation  of  his  grace’s  first  let¬ 
ter  ;  which  appears  to  have  been  written  by  him  as  pres¬ 
ident  of  the  “  Society  for  promoting  Christian  Knowl¬ 
edge.” 

*  Niecampius,  pa.a^e  234.  t  From  1749  to  1800. 

i  Archbishop  W^ke. 


MEMOIR. 


235 


<(  To  Bartholomew  Ziegcnbalgius  and  John  Ernest 

“  Grundlerus,  Preachers  of  the  Christian  Faith ,  on 

((  the  coast  of  Coromandel. 

“  As  often  as  I  behold  your  letters,  reverend  breth- 
“  ren,  addressed  to  the  venerable  Society  instituted  for 
“  the  promotion  of  the  Gospel,  whose  chief  honour  and 
K  ornament  ye  are  ;  and  as  often  as  I  contemplate  the 
“  light  of  the  Gospel  either  now  first  rising  on  the  In- 
“  dian  nations,  or  after  the  intermission  of  some  ages 
“  again  revived,  and  as  it  were  restored  to  its  inherit- 
t£  ance  ;  I  am  constrained  to  magnify  that  singular  good- 
“  ness  of  God  in  visiting  nations  so  remote  ;  and  to  ac- 
“  count  you,  my  brethren,  highly  honoured,  whose  min- 
££  istry  it  hath  pleased  Him  to  employ,  in  this  pious  work, 
“  to  the  glory  of  His  name  and  the  salvation  of  so  many 
“  millions  of  souls. 

“  Let  others  indulge  in  a  ministry,  if  not  idle,  certain- 
“  ly  less  laborious,  among  Christians  at  home.  Let 
“  them  enjoy  in  the  bosom  of  the  church,  titles  and 
“  honours,  obtained  without  labour  and  without  danger. 
££  lour  praise  it  will  be  (a  praise  of  endless  duration  on 
“  earth,  and  followed  by  a  just  recompense  in  heaven) 
“  to  have  labored  in  the  vineyard  which  yourselves  have 
“  planted  ;  to  have  declared  the  name  of  Christ,  where 
“  it  was  not  known  before  ;  and  through  much  peril  and 
“  difficulty  to  have  converted  to  the  faith  those,  among 
“  whom  ye  afterwards  fulfilled  your  ministry.  Your 
<£  province  therefore,  brethren,  your  office,  I  place  be- 
“  lore  all  dignities  in  the  church.  Let  others  be  pon- 
“  tiffs,  patriarchs,  or  popes  ;  let  them  glitter  in  purple, 
u  in  scarlet,  or  in  gold  ;  let  them  seek  the  admiration 
<£  the  wondering  multitude,  and  receive  obeisence  on 
u  the  bended  knee.  Ye  have  acquired  a  better  name 
u  than  they,  and  a  more  sacred  fame.  And  when  that 
“  day  shall  arrive  when  the  chief  Shepherd  shall  give 
u  to  every  man  according  to  his  work,  a  greater  reward 
u  shall  be  adjudged  to  you.  Admitted  into  the  glori- 
“  ous  society  of  the  Prophets,  Evangelists,  and  Apos- 
“  ties,  ye  with  them  shall  shine,  like  the  sun  among 


MEMOIR. 


536 

44  the  lesser  stars,  in  the  kingdom  of  your  Father,  for- 
44  ever. 

44  Since  then  so  great  honour  is  now  given  unto 
44  you  by  all  competent  judges  on  earth,  and  since  so 
44  great  a  reward  is  laid  up  for  you  in  heaven  ;  go  forth 
44  with  alacrity  to  that  work,  to  the  which  the  Holy 
44  Ghost  hath  called  you.  God  hath  already  given  to  you 
44  an  illustrious  pledge  of  his  favour,  an  increase  not  to 
44  be  expected  without  the  aid  of  his  grace.  Ye  have 
44  begun  happily,  proceed  with  spirit.  He,  who  hath 
44  carried  you  safely  through  the  dangers  of  the  seas  to 
44  such  a  remote  country,  and  who  hath  given  you  favour 
44  in  the  eyes  of  those  whose  countenance  ye  most  de- 
44  sired ;  He  who  hath  so  liberally  and  unexpectedly 
44  ministered  unto  your  wants,  and  who  doth  now  daily 
“  add  members  to  your  church  ;  He  will  continue  to 
44  prosper  your  endeavours,  and  will  subdue  unto  him- 
“  self,  by  your  means,  the  whole  continent  of  Oriental 
44  India. 

44  O  happy  men  I  who,  standing  before  the  tribunal 
44  of  Christ,  shall  exhibit  so  many  nations  converted  to 
44  his  faith  by  your  preaching  ;  happy  men  1  to  whom  it 
“  shall  be  given  to  say  before  the  assembly  of  the  whole 
44  human  race,  4  Behold  us,  O  Lord,  and  the  children 
44  4  whom  thou  hast  given  us  happy  men  !  who,  being 
44  justified  by  the  Saviour,  shall  receive  in  that  day  the 
44  reward  of  your  labours,  and  also  shall  hear  that  glori- 
44  ous  encomium ;  4  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  scr- 
44  4  vants,  enter  ye  into  the  joy  of  your  Lord.’ 

44  May  Almighty  God  graciously  favour  you  and  your 
44  labours  in  all  things.  May  he  send  to  your  aid  fel- 
44  low-labourers,  such  and  so  many  as  ye  wish.  May  he 
44  increase  the  bounds  of  your  churches.  May  he  open 
44  the  hearts  of  those  to  whom  ye  preach  the  Gospel  of 
44  Christ ;  that  hearing  you,  they  may  receive  life-giv- 
44  ing  faith.  May  he  protect  you  and  yours  from  all 
44  evils  and  dangers.  And  when  ye  arrive  (may  it  be 
44  late)  at  the  end  of  your  course,  may  the  same  God, 
44  who  hath  called  you  to  this  work  of  the  Gospel  and 


MEMOIR. 


237 


“  hath  preserved  you  in  it,  grant  to  you  the  reward  of 
“  your  labour, — an  incorruptible  crown  of  glory.* 

“  These  are  the  fervent  wishes  and  prayers  of, 

Venerable  brethren, 

“  Your  most  faithful  fellow  servant  in  Christ, 


“  From  our  Palace  at  LamO 
“  beth,  January,  a.  d.  1719.j 


“  GULIELMUS  CANT.’" 


Such  was  the  primary  archiepiscopal  charge  to  the 
Protestant  missionaries,  who  came  to  India  for  the  con¬ 
version  of  the  heathen.  Where  shall  we  look,  in  these 
days,  for  a  more  perfect  model  of  Christian  eloquence  ; 
animated  by  purer  sentiments  of  scriptural  truth,  by 
greater  elevation  of  thought,  or  by  a  sublimer  piety  !f 
16.  By  the  letters  of  the  King,  and  his  long  contin¬ 
ued  care  of  the  mission,  and  by  the  frequent  admonito¬ 
ry  epistles  of  the  archbishop,  an  incalculable  sum  of 


*  Niecampius,  page  215. 

t  Before  this  letter  reached  India,  Ziegenbalgius  had  departed 
this  life  at  the  early  age  of  thirty  six  years.  The  expressions  of 
the  archbishop  corresponded  in  many  particulars  with  the  circum¬ 
stances  of  his  death.  Perceiving  that  his  last  hour  was  at  hand, 
he  called  his  Hindoo  congregation  and  partook  of  the  holy  Com¬ 
munion,  “amidst  ardent  prayers  and  many  tears:”  and  after¬ 
wards  addressing  them  in  a  solemn  manner,  took  an  affectionate 
leave  of  them.  Being  reminded  by  them  of  the  faith  of  the  Apos¬ 
tle  of  the  Gentiles  at  the  prospect  of  death,  who  “  desired  to  be 
“  with  Christ,  as  being  far  better,”  he  said,  “  That  also  is  my 
“  desire.  Washed  from  my  sins  in  his  blood,  and  clothed  with 
“  his  righteousness,  I  shall  enter  into  his  heavenly  kingdom.  I 
“  pray  that  the  things  which  I  have  spoken  may  be  fruitful. 
“  Throughout  tins  whole  warfare,  I  have  entirely  endured  by 
“  Christ;  and  now  I  can  say  through  him.” — “I  have  fought  the  good 
“  light ;  I  have  finished  my  course  ;  I  have  kept  the  faith.  Hence- 
“  forth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness  which 
words  having  spoken,  he  desired  that  the  Hindoo  children  about 
his  bed,  and  the  multitude  filling  the  verandahs,  and  about  the 
house,  might  sing  the  hymn,  beginning  “  Jesus  my  Saviour  Lord.” 
Which  when  finished,  he  yielded  up  his  spirit,  amidst  the  rejoic¬ 
ings  and  lamentations  of  a  great  multitude  ;  some  rejoicing  at  his 
triumphant  death,  and  early  entrance  into  glory,  And  others  la- 
menting  the  early  loss  of  their  faithf  ul  apostle ;  who  had  first 
brought  the  light  of  the  Gospel  to  their  dark  region  from  the  wes¬ 
tern  world.  Niecampius,  p.  217,  and  Annales  Miss.  p.  20. 


238 


MEMOIR. 


happiness  has  been  dispensed  in  India.  The  episcopal 
charges  infused  spirit  into  the  mission  abroad  ;  and  the 
countenance  of  majesty  cherished  a  zeal  in  the  Socie¬ 
ty  at  home,  which  has  not  abated  to  this  day.  From 
the  commencement  of  the  mission  in  1705,  to  the  pres¬ 
ent  year,  1805,  it  is  computed  that  eighty  thousand  na¬ 
tives  of  all  casts  in  one  district  alone,  forsaking  their 
idols  and  their  vices,  have  been  added  to  the  Christian 
church. 

17.  In  the  above  letter  of  the  archbishop,  there  is 
found  a  prophecy,  “  That  Christ  shall  subdue  unto  him- 
“  self,  through  our  means,  the  whole  continent  of  ori- 
“  ental  India.”  It  is  certainly  not  unbecoming  our  na¬ 
tional  principles,  nor  inconsistent  with  the  language  or 
spirit  of  the  religion  we  profess,  to  look  for  the  fulfil¬ 
ment  of  that  prophecy. 

18.  Many  circumstances  concur  to  make  it  probable, 
that  the  light  of  Revelation  is  now  dawning  on  the  Asi¬ 
atic  world.  How  grateful  must  it  be  to  the  pious  mind 
to  contemplate,  that  while  infidelity  has  been  extend¬ 
ing  itself  in  the  region  of  science  and  learning,  the  di¬ 
vine  dispensation  should  have  ordered  that  the  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  true  God  should  flow'  into  heathen  lands  1 

Under  the  auspices  of  the  college  of  Fort- William, 
the  Scriptures  are  in  a  course  of  translation  into  the 
languages  of  almost  the  “  whole  continent  of  Oriental 
“  India.”  Could  the  royal  patron  of  the  Tamul  Bible, 
who  prayed  “  that  the  work  might  not  fail  in  genera- 
“  tions  to  come,”  have  foreseen  those  streams  of  re¬ 
vealed  truth,  which  are  now  issuing  from  this  fountain, 
with  what  delight  would  he  have  hailed  the  arrival  of 
the  present  sera  of  Indian  administration.  In  this  view, 
the  Oriental  college  has  been  compared  by  one  of  our 
Hindoo  poets,  to  a  “  flood  of  light  shooting  through  a 
“  dark  cloud  on  a  benighted  land.”  Directed  by  it,  the 
learned  natives  from  every  quarter  of  India,  and  from 
the  parts  beyond,  from  Persia  and  Arabia,  come  to  the 
source  of  knowledge  ;  they  mark  our  principles,  pon¬ 
der  the  volume  of  inspiration,  “  and  hear,  every  man 
“  in  his  own  tongue,  the  wonderful  works  of  God.” 

19.  The  importance  of  this  Institution  as  the  foun¬ 
tain  of  civilization  to  Asia,  is  happily  displayed  in  a 


MEMOIR. 


239 


Speech  in  the  Shanscrit  language,  pronounced  by  the 
Shanscrit  teacher,*  at  our  late  public  disputations. 
The  translations  of  this  discourse  (being  the  first  in 
that  language)  we  are  induced  to  give  entire  ;  not  on¬ 
ly  from  our  deference  to  the  authority  of  the  venerable 
speaker,  who  describes  with  much  precision,  the  pres¬ 
ent  state,  true  object,  and  certain  consequences  of  this 
Institution  ;  but  also,  because  the  facts  and  reasoning 
contained  in  it  bear  the  most  auspicious  reference  to 
the  various  subjects  which  have  been  discussed  in  this 
Memoir. 

As  Moderator  of  the  Disputation,  he  addresses  the 
student, t  who  had  pronounced  a  declamation  in  the 
Shanscrit  language  : 

“  SIR, 

“  lT  being  a  rule  of  our  public  disputations,  that  the 
Moderator  should  express  before  the  assembly,  his  opin¬ 
ion  of  the  proficiency  of  the  student  in  the  language  in 
which  he  has  spoken,  it  becomes  my  duty  to  declare 
my  perfect  approbation  of  the  manner  in  which  you 
have  acquitted  yourself,  and  to  communicate  to  you  the 
satisfaction  with  which  the  learned  Pundits,  your  audi¬ 
tors,  have  listened  to  your  correct  pronunciation  of  the 
Shanscrit  tongue. 

“  Four  years  have  now  elapsed  since  the  commence¬ 
ment  ©f  this  Institution.  During  that  period  the  popu¬ 
lar  languages  of  India  have  been  sedulously  cultivated  • 
and  are  now  fluently  spoken.  Last  in  order,  because 
first  in  difficulty,  appears  the  parent  of  all  these  dia¬ 
lects,  the  primitive  Shanscrit;  as  if  to  acknowledge 
her  legitimate  offspring,  to  confirm  their  affinity  and 
1  elation  to  each  other,  and  thereby  to  complete  our  svs- 
tem  of  Oriental  study.  ; 


.*  ?,ie  venerable  Mr.  Carey  ;  for  many  years  past  the  Protestant 
missionary  in  the  North  of  India  ;  following  the  steps  of  the  late 
Mr.  Swartz  m  the  South ;  in  Oriental  and  classical  learning  his 
superior,  and  not  inferior  m  laborious  study  and  Christian  zeal 
Mr.  Carey  is  author  of  a  Grammar  of  the  Shanscrit  Language 
900  pages  4to  ;  of  a  Grammar  of  the  Bengal  Language  •  of  a 
Grammar  in  the  Mahratta  Language ;  of  a  Translation  of  the 

52[es  ;.nt0  the  Bengal  Language ;  and  of  various  other  use- 
iul  publications  in  Oriental  literature, 
t  Clotworthy  Gowan,  Esq. 


240 


MEMOIR* 


“  Considered  as  the  source  of  the  colloquial  tongues,' 
the  utility  of  the  Shanscrit  language  is  evident;  but  as 
containing  numerous  treatises  on  the  religion,  jurispru¬ 
dence,  arts  and  sciences  of  the  Hindoos,  its  importance 
is  yet  greater ;  especially  to  those  to  whom  is  commit¬ 
ted,  by  this  government,  the  province  of  legislation  for 
the  natives  ;  in  order  that  being  conversant  with  the  Hin¬ 
doo  writings,  and  capable  of  referring  to  the  original  au¬ 
thorities,  they  may  propose,  from  time  to  time,  the  re¬ 
quisite  modifications  and  improvements,  in  just  accord¬ 
ance  with  existing  law  and  ancient  institution. 

“  Shanscrit  learning,  say  the  Brahmins,  is  like  an 
extensive  forest,  abounding  with  a  great  variety  of  beau¬ 
tiful  foilage,  splendid  blossoms,  and  delicious  fruits ; 
but  surrounded  by  a  strong  and  thorny  fence,  which 
prevents  those  who  are  desirous  of  plucking  its  fruits 
or  flowers,  from  entering  in. 

“  The  learned  Jones,  Wilkins,  and  others,  broke 
down  this  opposing  fence  in  several  places  ;  but  by  the 
College  of  Fort  William,  a.  highway  has  been  made 
into  the  midst  of  the  wood ;  and  you,  Sir,  have  enter¬ 
ed  thereby. 

“  The  successful  study  of  the  Shanscrit  tongue  will 
distinguish  this  fourth  year  of  our  Institution,  and  con¬ 
stitute  it  an  sera  in  the  progress  of  Eastern  learning; 
and  you,  Sir,  have  the  honor  of  being  the  first  to  deliv¬ 
er  a  speech  in  that  ancient  and  difficult  language.  The 
success  that  has  attended  you  in  the  acquirement  of 
other  branches  of  Oriental  literature,  will  encourage 
you  to  prosecute  the  study  of  this,  as  far  as  it  may  be 
useful  in  qualifying  you  for  the  faithful  discharge  of 
your  duties  in  the  public  service,  or  may  be  subservient 
to  your  own  reputation,  in  advancing  the  interests  of 
useful  learning.” 

[Addressing  his  Excellency  Marquis  Wellesley ,  Gov¬ 
ernor  General ,  E'ounder  and  Patron  of  the  Insti¬ 
tution. J 

11  MY  LOUD, 

“  It  is  just,  that  the  language  which  has  been  first 
cultivated  under  your  auspices,  should  primarily  be- 


MEMOIR. 


241 


employed  in  gratefully  acknowledging  the  benefit,  and 
in  speaking  your  praise. 

“  This  ancient  language,  which  refused  to  disclose 
itself  to  the  former  Governors  of  India,  unlocks  its 
treasures  at  your  command,  and  enriches  the  world  with 
the  history,  learning,  and  science  of  a  distant  age. 

“  The  rising  importance  of  our  Collegiate  Institution 
has  never  been  more  clearly  demonstrated  than  on  the 
present  occasion ;  and  thousands  of  the  learned  in  dis¬ 
tant  nations  will  exult  in  this  triumph  of  literature. 

“  What  a  singular  exhibition  has  been  this  day  pre¬ 
sented  to  us  !  In  presence  of  the  supreme  Governor  of 
India,  and  of  its  most  learned  and  illustrious  charac¬ 
ters,  Asiatic  and  European,  an  assembly  is  convened, 
in  which  no  word  of  our  native  tongue  is  spoken,  but 
public  discourse  is  maintained  on  interesting  subjects, 
in  the  languages  of  Asia.  The  colloquial  Hindosta- 
nee,  the  classic  Persian,  the  commercial  Bengalee, 
the  learned  Arabic,  and  the  primaeval  Shanscrit,  are 
spoken  fluently,  after  having  been  studied  grammati¬ 
cally,  by  English  youth.  Did  ever  any  university  in 
Europe,  or  any  literary  institution  in  any  other  age  or 
country,  exhibit  a  scene  so  interesting  as  this  !  And 
what  are  the  circumstances  of  these  youth  !  They  are 
not  students  who  prosecute  a  dead  language  with  un¬ 
certain  purpose,  impelled  only  by  natural  genius  or 
love  ol  fame.  But  having  been  appointed  to  the  im¬ 
portant  offices  of  administering  the  government  of  the 
country  in  which  these  languages  are  spoken,  they  ap¬ 
ply  their  acquisitions  immediately  to  useful  purposes  ; 
in  distributing  justice  to  the  inhabitants;  in  transacting 
the  business  ol  the  state,  revenual  and  commercial ; 
and  in  maintaining  official  intercourse  with  the  people^ 
in  their  own  tongue,  and  not,  as  hitherto,  by  means  of 
an  interpreter. 

“  The  acquisitions  of  our  students  may  be  apprecia¬ 
ted  by  their  affording  to  the  suppliant  native  immediate 
access  to  his  principal ;  and  by  their  elucidating  the 
spirit  of  the  regulations  of  our  government  b)T  oral 
communication,  and  by  written  explanations,  Varied 
according  to  the  circumstances  and  capacities  of  the 
people. 


W 


242 


memoir. 


«  The  acquisitions  of  our  students  are  appreciated 
at  this  moment  by  those  learned  Asiatics,  now  present 
in  this  assembly,  some  of  them  strangers  from  distant 
provinces  ;  who  wonder  every  man  to  hear  in  his  own 
tongue,  important  subjects  discussed,  and  new  and 
noble  principles  asserted,  by  the  youth  of  a  foreign 
land. 

“  The  literary  proceedings  of  this  day  amply  repay 
all  the  solicitude,  labor,  and  expense  that  have  been 
bestowed  on  this  Institution.  If  the  expense  had  been 
a  thousand  times  greater,  it  would  not  have  equalled 
the  immensity  of  the  advantage,  moral  and  political, 
that  will  ensue. 

«  I,  now  an  old  man,  have  lived  for  a  long  series  of 
years  among  the  Hindoos  ;  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of 
preaching  to  multitudes  daily,  of  discoursing  with  the 
Brahmins  on  every  subject,  and  of  superintending 
schools  for  the  instruction  of  the  Hindoo  youth.  Their 
language  is  nearly  as  familiar  to  me  as  my  own.  This 
close  intercourse  with  the  natives  for  so  long  a  period, 
and  in  different  parts  of  our  empire,  has  afforded  me 
opportunities  of  information  not  inferior  to  those  which 
have  hitherto  been  presented  to  any  other  person.  I 
may  say  indeed  that  their  manners,  customs,  habits, 
and  sentiments,  are  as  obvious  to  me,  as  if  I  was  my¬ 
self  a  native.  And  knowing  them  as  I  do,  and  hearing 
as  I  do,  their  daily  observations  on  our  government, 
character,  and  principles,  I  am  warranted  to  say,  (and 
I  deem  it  my  duty  to  embrace  the  public  opportunity 
now  afforded  me  of  saying  it>)  that  the  institution  of 
this  College  was  wanting  to  complete  the  happiness  of 
the  natives  under  our  dominion  ;  for  this  institution  will 
break  down  that  barrier  (our  ignorance  of  their  lan¬ 
guage)  which  has  ever  opposed  the  influence  of  our 
laws  and  principles,  and  has  despoiled  our  administra¬ 
tion  of  its  energy  and  effect. 

“  Were,  however,  the  Institution  to  cease  from  this 
moment,  its  salutary  effects  would  yet  remain  Good 
has  been  done,  which  cannot  be  undone.  Sources  of 
useful  knowledge,  moral  instruction  and  political  utili¬ 
ty,  have  been  opened  to  the  natives  of  India,  which  can 
never  be  closed  ;  and  their  civil  improvement,  like  the 


MEMOIR. 


243 


gradual  civilization  of  our  own  country,  will  advance  in 
progression,  for  ages  to  come. 

“  One  hundred  original  volumes  in  the  Oriental  lan¬ 
guages  and  literature,  will  preserve  forever  in  Asia  the 
name  of  the  founder  of  this  Institution.  Nor  are  the  ex¬ 
amples  frequent  of  a  renown,  possessing  such  utility 
for  its  basis,  or  pervading  such  a  vast  portion  of  the  hab¬ 
itable  globe.  My  Lord,  you  have  raised  a  monument 
of  fame,  which  no  length  of  time,  or  reverse  of  fortune, 
is  able  to  destroy  ;  not  chiefly  because  it  is  inscribed 
with  Mahratta  and  Mysore,  with  the  trophies  of  war, 
and  the  emblems  of  victory  ;  but  because  there  are  in¬ 
scribed  on  it  the  names  of  those  learned  youth,  who 
have  obtained  degrees  of  honour  for  high  proficiency  in 
the  Oriental  tongues. 

“  These  youth  will  rise  in  regular  succession  to  the 
government  of  this  country.  They  will  extend  the  do¬ 
main  of  British  civilization,  security,  and  happiness,  by 
enlarging  the  bounds  of  Oriental  literature,  and  thereby 
diffusing  the  spirit  of  Christian  principles  throughout 
the  nations  of  Asia.  These  youth,  who  have  lived  so 
long  among  us,  whose  unwearied  application  to  their 
studies  we  have  all  witnessed,  whose  moral  and  exem¬ 
plary  conduct  has,  in  so  solemn  a  manner,  been  publicly- 
declared  before  this  august  assembly,  on  this  day  ;  and 
who,  at  the  moment  of  entering  on  the  public  service, 
enjoy  the  fame  of  possessing  qualities  (rarely  combin¬ 
ed)  constituting  a  reputation  of  threefold  strength  for 
public  men,  genius,  industry,  and  virtue  ;  these  illustri¬ 
ous  scholars,  my  Lord,  the  pride  of  their  country, 
and  the  pillars  of  this  empire,  will  record  your  name 
in  many  a  language,  and  secure  your  fame  forever. 
Your  fame  is  already  recorded  in  their  hearts.  The 
whole  body  of  youth  of  this  service  hail  you  as  their  fa¬ 
ther  and  their  friend.  Your  honour  will  ever  be  safe  in 
their  hands.  No  revolution  of  opinion,  or  change  of 
circumstances,  can  rob  you  of  the  solid  glory  derived 
from  the  humane,  just,  liberal  and  magnanimous  prin¬ 
ciples,  which  have  been  embodied  by  your  administra¬ 
tion. 

“  To  whatever  situation  the  course  of  future  events 
may  call  you,  the  youth  of  this  service  will  ever  remain 


244 


MEMOIR. 


the  pledges  of  the  wisdom  and  purity  of  your  govern¬ 
ment.  Your  evening  of  life  will  be  constantly  cheered. 
■With  new  testimonies  of  their  reverence  and  affection  ; 
with  new  proofs  of  the  advantages  of  the  education  you 
have  afforded  them  ;  and  with  a  demonstration  of  the 
numerous  benefits,  moral,  religious,  and  political,  re¬ 
sulting  from  this  Institution  ; — benefits  which  will  con¬ 
solidate  the  happiness  of  millions  in  Asia,  with  the  glory 
and  welfare  of  our  country.”* 

*  SeePrimits  Orientales,  Yol.  III.  page  111.  [The  preceding 
chapter  has  given  so  very  concise  an  account  of  the  Protestant 
Mission  in  India,  that  the  reader  may  be  gratified  with  a  few  ad¬ 
ditional  sketches  of  it.  The  king  of  Denmark  early  settled  on  the 
missionaries  2000  crowns  a  year,  payable  from  the  post  office,  to 
defray  the  necessary  charges  of  the  mission  ;  and  this  sum  was  of¬ 
ten  doubled  by  extraordinary  presents.  Germany  also  sent  large 
sums  toward  the  support  of  the  mission  ;  but  the  greatest  contri¬ 
butions  came  from  England.  From  the  year  1709,  the  Society  for 
Promoting  Christian  Knowledge  very  liberally  assisted  it ;  and  in 
1713,  the  sum  sent  from  England  amounted  to  =£1194  sterling. 
From  that  time  England  continued  to  assist  the  mission  of  Tran- 
quebar,  and  alone  sustained  the  missions  of  Madras  and  St.  David. 
In  17 1 5  a  college  was  erected  at  Copenhagen  by  the  king  of  Den¬ 
mark,  for  facilitating  and  enlarging  the  work  of  the  Mission  in 
the  East  Indies.  The  very  worthy  superinteudant,  Ziegenbalgius, 
died  February  25,  1719  ;  and  Mr.  Grundler,  his  faithful  assistant, 
survived  him  but  a  year.  The  mission  of  Tranquebar  was  still 
supported  ;  and  in  1742  it  was  under  the  direction  of  8  missiona¬ 
ries,  2  national  priests,  3  catechists  of  the  first  order,  beside  those 
of  an  inferior  rank,  with  a  proportional  number  of  assistants.  It 
was  but  seven  years  after,  that  the  venerable  Swartz  commenced 
his  mission,  which  continued  until  the  close  of  the  century. 

Amer.  Edit.'] 


APPENDIX. 

A. 


RECORD  of  the  superstitious  practices  of  the  Hindoos , 
now  subsisting ,  which  infict  immediate  death ,  or  tend 
to  death  ;  deducted  from  the  evidence  of  the  Pun¬ 
dits  and  learned  Brahmins  in  the  College  of  Fort  Wil¬ 
liam. 


I. 

The  offering  of  children  to  Gunga.* 

The  natives  of  Hindostan,  particularly  the  inhabit¬ 
ants  of  Orissa,  and  of  the  eastern  parts  of  Bengal,  some¬ 
times  make  offerings  of  their  children  to  the  goddess 
Gunga. 

When  a  woman,  who  has  been  long  married,  has  no 
child,  she  and  her  husband  make  avow  to  the  goddess 
Gunga,  “  That  if  she  will  bestow  on  them  the  blessing 
u  ol  children,  they  will  devote  to  her  their^rs?  born 
If,  after  this  vow,  they  have  a  child  or  children,  the  first 
born  is  preserved,  till  they  have  a  convenient  opportu¬ 
nity  of  returning  to  the  river  at  the  period  of  assembling 
at  the  holy  places.  They  then  take  the  child  with 
them;  and  at  the  time  of  bathing,  it  is  encouraged  to 
walk  into  deep  water,  till  it  is  carried  away  by  the  stream. 
If  it  be  unwilling  to  go  forward,  it  is  pushed  off  by  its 
parents.  Sometimes  a  stranger  attends,  and  catches 
the  perishing  infant,  and  brings  it  up  as  his  own  ;  but  if 
no  such  person  happen  to  be  near,  it  is  infallibly  drown¬ 
ed,  being  deserted  by  the  parents  the  moment  it  floats  in 
the  river. 

1  his  species  of  human  sacrifice  is  publicly  commit¬ 
ted  at  Gunga  Saugor,  in  the  last  day  of  Pous ;  and  on 
the  day  of  full  moon  in  Kartic.  At  Bydyabatee,  Trive- 
nee,  Nuddeea,  Agradeep,  and  other  places  accounted 

*  The  river  Ganges. 

w  2 


246 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


holy,  it  is  committed  on  the  13th  day  of  the  dark  fort¬ 
night  of  the  moon  Chytra,  and  on  the  10th  of  the  bright 
fortnight  in  Jystha. 

All  the  Pundits  declare  that  this  practice  is  not  com¬ 
manded  in  any  Shaster.* 


II. 

Kamya  Moron ,  or  voluntary  death . 

1.  When  a  person  is  in  distress,  or  has  incurred  the 
contempt  of  his  society  ;  and  often  when  there  is  no 
other  cause  than  his  belief  that  it  is  meritorious  to  die 
in  the  river  Gunga,  lie  forms  the  resolution  of  parting 
with  life  in  the  sacred  stream. 

2.  Such  persons,  at  the  times  mentioned  in  the  pre¬ 
ceding  article,  go  to  the  holy  places,  where  many  thou¬ 
sands  of  people  are  assembled  for  the  purpose  of  sacred 
ablution.  Some  of  them  abstain  from  food,  that  life  may 
depart  from  them  in  the  holy  place :  but  the  greater 
number  drown  themselves  in  the  presence  of  the  sur¬ 
rounding  multitude.  Their  children  and  other  relations 
generally  attend  them.  It  is  not  uncommon  for  a  father 
to  be  pushed  again  into  the  river  by  his  sons,  if  he  at¬ 
tempt  to  swim  back  to  land. 

3.  At  Saugor  it  is  accounted  a  propitious  sign  if  the 
person  be  soon  seized  by  a  shark  or  a  crocodile  ;  but 
his  future  happiness  is  considered  doubtful  if  he  stay 
long  in  the  water  without  being  destroyed.-! 

4.  The  only  passage  in  the  Shasters  which  has  been 
submitted  as  countenancing  this  suicide  is  the  follow¬ 
ing  :  “  If  a  person  be  afflicted  with  an  incurable  disease, 
“  so  painful  that  it  cannot  be  borne,  he  is  permitted  to 
H  throw  himself  from  a  precipice,  or  to  drown  himself 
“  in  the  river.” 

5.  During  the  Pooja  of  the  Rutt  Jattra,  some  devote 
themselves  to  death  by  falling  under  the  wheels  of  a 

*  This  practice  is  now  abolished  by  regulation  of  government. 
See  Appendix  C. 

f  The  sharks  and  alligators  are  numerous  at  this  place,  partic¬ 
ularly  at  the  time  of  the  annua!  festival ;  owing,  it  is  supposed,  to 
the  human  prey  devoted  to  them  from  time  immemorial. 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


247 

heavy  car  or  wooden  tower,  containing  their  gods.  At 
Jaggernaut  they  sometimes  lie  down  in  the  track  of  this 
machine  a  few  hours  before  its  arrival,  and  taking  a  so- 
poriferous  draught,  hope  to  meet  death  asleep. 

III. 

Exposing  of  children. 

This  is  a  custom  not  commanded  in  any  of  the  Shas- 
ters,  and  is  wholly  confined  to  the  lower  classes. 

If  a  child  refuse  the  mother’s  milk,  whether  from 
sickness  or  from  any  other  cause,  it  is  supposed  to  be 
Under  the  influence  of  an  evil  spirit.  In  this  case  the 
babe  is  put  into  a  basket  and  hung  up  in  a  tree  for  three 
days.  It  generally  happens  that  before  the  expiration 
of  that  time  the  infant  is  dead  ;  being  destroyed  by  ants, 
or  by  birds  of  prey.  If  it  be  alive  at  the  end  of  the  three 
days,  it  is  taken  home,  and  means  are  used  to  preserve 
its  life. 

IV. 

Destroying  female  infants. 

This  practice  is  common  among  a  race  of  Hindoos 
called  Rajpoots.  Without  alleging  any  other  reason 
than  the  difficulty  of  providing  for  daughters  in  mar¬ 
riage,  the  mothers  starve  their  female  infants  to  death. 
In  some  places  notone  half  of  the  females  are  permitted 
to  live.f 

V. 

Immersion  of  sick  persons  in  the  river. 

When  a  sick  person  (particularly  if  he  be  aged)  is 
supposed  not  to  be  likely  to  recover,  he  is  conveyed  to 
the  river,  in  which  the  lower  half  of  his  body  'is  im¬ 
mersed.  Water  is  copiously  poured  into  his  mouth; 
and  he  seldom  survives  the  operation  many  hours. 

t  Lord  Teign mouth  relates,  that  this  infanticide  is  practised  on 
the  frontiers  of  Juanpore,  a  district  of  the  province  of  Benares  ; 
and  at  another  place  within  the  same  province.  Asiatic  Res.  Yob 
IV.  page  338. 

See  also  Memoirs  of  George  Thomas,  bv  Captain  Franklin, 
page  100. 


243 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


VI. 

The  Sahamoron ,  or  the  burning  of  widows  with  their 
deceased  husbands. 

1.  This  practice  is  common  in  all  parts  of  Hindos- 
tan,  but  it  is  more  frequent  on  the  banks  of  the  Ganges. 

It  is  usual  for  the  woman  to  burn  with  her  husband’s 
corpse.  But  there  is  a  cast  called  Jogees,  who  bury 
their  dead.  The  women  of  this  cast  bury  themselves 
alive  with  their  husbands. 

2.  From  the  number  of  burnings  and  buryings  in  a 
given  time,  within  the  compass  of  a  few  districts,  it 
was  calculated  by  the  late  learned  Mr.  William  Cham¬ 
bers,  that  the  widows  who  perish  by  self-devotement 
in  the  northern  provinces  of  Hindostan  alone,  are  not 
less  than  ten  thousand  annually.  This  calculation  is 
countenanced  by  the  number  of  burnings  within  thirty 
miles  round  Calcutta  during  the  period  of  the  last  six 
months,  which,  by  account  taken,  is  one  hundred  and 
sixteen.* 

3.  The  usual  mode  of  performing  the  rite  of  burning 
is  the  following : 

When  the  husband  is  dead,  the  widow,  if  she  intend 
to  burn,  immediately  declares  her  intention  ;  and  soon 
after  goes  to  the  river  side,  where  the  corpse  of  her  hus¬ 
band  is  laid.  The  Brahmins  and  common  people  as¬ 
semble.  The  pile  being  erected,  the  dead  body  is  pla¬ 
ced  upon  it.  After  a  few  ceremonies  (differing  in  dif¬ 
ferent  districts)  the  widow  lays  herself  down  by  the 
side  of  the  corpse.  Combustible  materials  are  thrown 
upon  the  pile,  which  is  pressed  down  by  bamboo  lev¬ 
ers.  The  heir  at  law  then  kindles  the  fire.  The  sur¬ 
rounding  multitude  set  up  a  shout,  which  is  necessary 
to  prevent  her  cry  from  being  heard,  if  she  should 
make  any  ;  and  the  life  of  the  victim  is  soon  ended. 

4.  The  following  circumstances  contribute  to  the  fre¬ 
quency  of  this  act : 

When  a  husband  dies,  the  wife  has  the  choice  of 
burning  with  him,  or  of  forsaking  the  comforts  of  life. 
She  must  put  on  no  ornaments,  must  be  clothed  in  sor- 


*  See  Appcnilijt  D. 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


£49 


did  apparel,  and  must  eat  but  one  scanty  meal  in  the 
day. 

If  she  attempt  to  escape  from  the  fire,  any  person 
of  the  very  lowest  casts  may  seize  and  carry  her  home 
as  his  own  property.  But  in  this  case  her  relations 
generally  bring  her  forcibly  back  to  the  fire,  to  prevent 
the  disgrace  of  her  being  carried  away. 

5.  The  laws  of  the  Hindoos  concerning  the  female 
sacrifice,  are  collected  in  a  book  called  Soodha  Sun- 
graha. 

The  passages  in  that  book  which  relate  to  the  prin¬ 
ciple  or  act  of  burning,  are  here  subjoined,  with  the 
names  of  the  original  Shasters  from  which  they  were 
collected. 

Angeera.  “  The  virtuous  wife  who  burns  herself 
u  with  her  husband  is  like  to  Aroondhutee.  If  she  be 
“  within  a  day’s  journey  of  the  place  where  he  dies, 
“  the  burning  of  the  corpse  shall  be  deferred  a  day, 
“  to  wait  for  her  arrival.” 

Brahma  Pooran.  “  If  the  husband  die  in  a  distant 
“  country,  the  wife  may  take  any  of  his  effects  ;  for  in- 
“  stance  a  sandal,  and  binding  it  on  her  thigh,  burn 
“  with  it  on  a  separate  fire.” 

Reek  Ved.  “  If  a  womgn  thus  burn  with  her  husband 
u  it  is  not  suicide,  and  the  relations  shall  be  unclean 
“  three  days  on  account  of  her  death  ;  after  which  the 
“  Shraddhee  must  be  performed.” 

Vishnoo  Pooran.  “  If  a  person  be  poteet,  (fallen  or 
“  sinful,)  all  his  sins  will  be  blotted  out  by  his  wife’s 
“  dying  with  him  in  the  fire,  after  a  proper  atonement 
“  has  been  made.” 

“  A  pregnant  woman  is  forbidden  to  burn,  and  also 
“  the  woman  who  is  in  her  times  ;  or  who  has  a  young 
“  child,  unless  some  proper  person  undertake  the  ed- 
“  ucation  of  the  child. 

“  If  a  woman  ascend  the  pile  and  should  afterwards 
“  decline  to  burn  through  love  of  life  or  earthly  things, 
“  she  must  perform  the  penance  Prazapotyo,*  and  will 
“  then  be  free  from  her  sin.” 

Goutam.  “  A  Brahmanee  can  only  die  with  her  hus- 

*  A  rigid  fast  for  some  days. 


250 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


“  band,  and  not  in  a  separate  fire.  The  eldest  son  or 
“  near  relation  must  set  fire  to  the  pile.1 2 3 * 5’ 

On  comparing  these  passages  with  the  present  prac¬ 
tice  of  burning  women  in  Hindostan,  little  similarity 
will  be  found  either  in  principle,  or  in  ceremonial.  In 
many  particulars  of  the  existing  custom,  the  Hindoos 
directly  violate  the  laws  of  their  religion. 

NOTE  BY  THE  PUNDITS. 

“  There  may  be  some  circumstantial  differences  of 
K  a  local  nature  in  the  above  mentioned  customs  ;  but 
“  the  general  practice  corresponds  with  what  is  here 
w  written.” 

B. 

NOTES  on  the  fir  ac  tic  ability  of  abolishing  those  firac- 
tices  of  the  Hindoos ,  which  inflict  immediate  death ,  or 
tend  to  produce  death  ;  collated  from  the  information 
and  suggestions  Of  the  Pundits  and  learned  Brahmins 
in  the  College  of  Fort  William. 

1.  It  is  an  attribute  of  the  British  government  in 
India  that  it  tolerates  all  religious  opinions,  and  forms 
of  worship,  and  protects  those  who  profess  them,  as 
long  as  they  conduct  themselves  in  an  orderly  and 
peaceable  manner. 

2.  If  murder,  robbery,  or  adultery  be  committed  un¬ 
der  the  name  of  religion,  the  persons  guilty  of  such 
actions  may  be  prosecuted  for  civil  crimes.  No  sanc¬ 
tion  of  religion  can  save  the  offender  from  the  punish¬ 
ment  due  for  his  violation  of  the  laws,  and  for  his  of¬ 
fence  against  humanity  and  social  happiness. 

“  The  principle  asserted  in  the  foregoing  paragraphs 
“  is  acknowledged  by  the  Pundits.” 

3.  Death  is  inflicted,  and  sanguinary  rites  are  prac¬ 
tised,  by  the  Hindoos  under  the  name  of  an  ancient  cus¬ 
tom,  or  of  a  religious  duty. 

I.  Children  are  sacrificed  by  their  parents  to  Gunga. 

II.  They  are  hung  up  on  trees  in  baskets  and  de¬ 
voured  by  birds  of  prey. 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


251 


III.  Female  infants  among-  the  Rajpoot  Hindoos,  are 
destroyed  by  starving. 

IV.  Men  and  woman  drown  themselves  in  the  Gan¬ 
ges,  at  the  places  reputed  holy. 

V.  They  devote  themselves  to  death  by  falling  under 
the  wheels  of  the  machine  which  carries  their  gods.* 

VI.  Widows  are  burned  alive  with  their  deceased 
husbands. 

VII.  Widows  are  buried  alive  with  their  deceased 
husbands. 

VIII.  Persons  supposed  to  be  dying,  are  immersed 
in  the  river. 

IX.  The  inhuman  practice  of  swinging  with  hooks 

passed  through  the  integuments  of  the' back,  called 
Pect  Phooron.  5 

X.  The  practice  of  dancing  with  threads,  canes,  or 
bamboos  passed  through  the  sides,  called  the  Pars- 
woban. 

XI.  The  passing  spits  or  other  instruments  of  iron 
through  the  tongue  or  forehead,  called  Zuhba  Phooron 

XII.  The  falling  from  a  height  on  sharp  instruments, 
called  Pat  Bhanga. 

t,  XP-  The  Practice  of  swinging  over  a  fire,  called 
Ihool  Sunyoss. 

XIV.  The  practice  of  climbing  naked  a  tree  armed 
with  horrid  thornsf  called  Kanta  Bhanga. 

And  all  the  other  ceremonies  which  are  performed 
on  the  last  five  days  of  the  month  Chytra,  under  the 
denomination  of  the  Chorruk  Pooja,  are  often  the  oc¬ 
casion  of  death  ;  and  always  tend  to  brutalize  the  minds 
both  of  actors  and  spectators. 

.  To  these  if  we  add  self-torture,  which  is  practised 
m  the  most  disgusting  and  unnatural  forms,  some  idea 
may  be  formed  of  the  present  effects  of  the  Hindoo  su¬ 
perstition. 

4.  None  of  these  practices  are  sanctioned  in  the 
books,  which  the  Hindoos  account  divine,  except  the 
thice  following;  the  Rarnya  Moron,  or  voluntary  de- 
votement ;  Sahamoron,  or  burning  of  widows  ;  and  the 

RuttJattra*  praCtIsed  chie%  at  Juggernaut,  at  the  Puoja  of  the 

t  The  Khujoor  tree. 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


immersion  of  half  the  body  of  a  dying  person  in  the 
river.  And  these  are  not  commanded.  These  actions 
are  generally  performed  in  consequence  of  vows,  or  in 
compliance  with  custom.  But  all  vows  are  optional, 
and  the  committing  murder  in  consequence  of  a  vow, 
does  not  lessen  the  guilt  of  it.  On  the  contrary,  a  vow 
to  commit  such  an  action,  is  a  crime  which  deserves 
punishment.  “  This  principle  is  conceded  by  the  Pun¬ 
dits. 

5.  Most  persons  of  erudition  and  influence  among 
the  Hindoos  reprobate  the  observance  of  cruel  or  pain¬ 
ful  rites  not  appointed  by  the  Shasters. 

When  these  persons  have  been  asked,  why  they  did 
not  exert  their  influence  to  prevent  such  irregularities, 
they  have  always  answered  :  “  That  they  have  no  pow- 
“  er  ;  that  the  Hindoo  rajahs  formerly  did  interfere  and 
(i  punish  those  who  were  guilty  of  breaking  the  laws 
“  of  the  Shasters.”  They  allege  particularly,  that  in 
the  Sahamoron,  or  burning  of  widows,  “  no  influence 
“  of  the  Brahmins  or  of  relations  should  be  permitted, 
“  and  that  such  influence  when  suspected  is  a  subject 
“  for  civil  inquiry ;  that  the  woman  should  come  of  her 
t£  own  accord,  and  lay  herself  on  the  pile  after  it  is 
“  kindled  ;  that  no  bamboos  or  ropes  should  bind  her 
<£  down  ;  and  that  if  after  ascending  the  pile  her  resolu- 
u  tion  should  fail  her,  she  should  be  subject  to  no  in- 
u  convenience  or  disgrace,  more  than  the  appointed 
“  atonement,*  or  that,  for  which  it  may  be  commuted; 
“  and  that  every  deviation  from  the  strict  letter  of  the 
“  law,  is  to  be  accounted  murder.” 

The  uninformed  part  of  the  community  assent  to  the 
propriety  of  the  common  practice  ;  and  there  can  be 
little  doubt  that  family  pride  in  many  cases,  lights  the 
funeral  pile.  But  the  opinion  of  the  learned  and  more 
respectable  part  of  their  society  must  have  the  greatest 
weight ;  and  would  be  sufficient  to  vindicate  any  salu¬ 
tary  measure  which  government  might  adopt.  To  re¬ 
duce  this  rite  to  the  strict  bounds  allowed  it  in  the 
Shasters,  would  do  much  towards  its  total  abolition. 

*  A  rigid  fast ;  but  which  may  be  commuted  for  a  gift  to  a  Brah¬ 
min  of  a  cow  and  a  calf;  or  of  five  kouns  of  cowries. 


APPENDIX  to  memoir. 


253 


6.  The  immersion  of  half  the  body  of  a  person  sup 
posed  to  be  dying,  in  the  water  of  the  Ganges,  must  of¬ 
ten,  in  acute  diseases,  occasion  premature  death. 

What  has  been  observed  respecting  the  Sahamoron, 
will  equally  apply  to  this  practice.  It  is  optional. 
1  hough  very  common  on  the  banks  of  the  Ganges  it 
is  reprobated  in  many  places  at  a  distance  from  it  The 
abolition  of  it  would  not  be  more  difficult  than  that  of 
tne  bahamoron. 

C. 


A.  D.  1802.  Regulation  VI. 

“  A  regulation  for  preventing  the  sacrifice  ofchil- 
clren  at  bau gor  and  other  places.  Passed  by  the  Gov- 
crnor  General  in  Council,  on  the  20th  August,  1802 
It  has  been  represented  to  the  Governor  General  in 
council,  that  a  criminal  and  inhuman  practice  of  sacri¬ 
ficing  chndren,  by  exposing  them  to  be  drowned,  or 
doomed  by  sharks,  prevails  at  the  island  of  Saugor, 
anc.  at  Baryah,  Cbaugdah,  and  other  places  on  the  Gan¬ 
ges.  At  baiigor  especially,  such  sacrifices  have  been 
made  at  fixed  periods,  namely,  the  day  of  full  moon  in 
November  and  in  January  ;  at  which  time  also  grown 
peisons  have  devoted  themselves  to  a  similar  death. 
Children,  thrown  into  the  sea  at  Saugor,  have  not  been 
generally  rescued,  asms  stated  to  be  the  custom  at  other 
im?e,S  ’  ^Ut  lhf  sa.cnfice  has,  on  the  contrary,  been  com- 
p  tely  effected,  with  circumstances  of  peculiar  atrocitv 
m  some  instances.  This  practice,  which  is  represented 

IT  in  rlo 6  ^  SUpei’StUl0US  vovvs’ is  not  sanctioned  by  the 
Hindoo  law,  nor  countenanced  by  the  religious  orders 

Gc  l7h  f,  ^  at  lal'ee  ;  noi'  ™  «  at  anytime  author-’ 
zed  by  the  Hindoo  or  Mahomedan  governments  of  In¬ 
dia.  1  he  persons  concerned  in  the  perpetration  of  such 
crimes  are  therefore  clearly  liable  to  pLishment  and 
the  plea  of  custom  would  be  inadmissible  in  excuse  of 
he  offence.  But  for  the  more  effectual  prevention  of 
so  inhuman  a  practice,  the  Governor  General  in  round! 
has>  enacted  the  following;  regulation  tn  1  •  r 

from  tho  promulgation  off,,  in^the  p^incea^f  Be^aT 
Behar,  Orissa,  and  Benares.”  Bengal., 

X 


254 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


Then  follows  the  clause  declaring  the  practice  to  be 
murder,  punishable  with  death. 

D. 

REPORT  of  the  number  of  women  who  have  burned 
themselves  on  the  funeral  pile  of  their  husbands  within 
thirty  miles  round  Calcutta ,  from  the  beginning  of 
JJysakh  Cl5th  April)  to  the  end  of  Aswin  (\ 5th  Oc¬ 
tober, )  1804. 


From  Gurria  to  Barrypore. 

Bhurut  Bazar  -  -  -  1 

Rajepore  -  -  -  -  2 

Muluncha  -  -  -  -  2 

Barrypore  -  ...  \ 

Maeenugur  1 

Lasun  ------  1 

Kesubpore  -  -  -  -  2 

Mahamaya  -  -  -  -  3 

Puscliim  Bahine  -  -  1 

Bural . 3 

Dhopa  Gach,  hi  *  -  1 

From  Tolley's  JVulla  mouth  to 
Gurria. 

Mouth  of  Tolley’s  nulla  6 


Kooli  Bazar  -  .  -  -  1 

Kidderpore  bridge  -  1 

Jeerat  bridge  -  -  -  2 

Near  the  hospital  -  -  1 

Watson’s  Ghat  -  -  -  1 

Bhobaneepore  -  -  -  2 

Kalee  Ghat  -  -  -  -  6 

Tolley  Gunge  -  -  -  2 

Naktulla  -  -  -  -  1 

Bydyabatee  -  -  -  -  1 

Dlion-nagur  -  -  -  1 

From  Bydyabatee  to  Bassbareea. 

Chundun-nagur  -  -  3 

Chinchura  -  -  -  -  2 


ByshnubGhat  -  -  -  2 

Etal  Ghat  -  -  -  -  2 

Russapagli  1 

Root  Ghat  -  -  -  -  2 

Gurria  -----  l 
Bassdhuni  2 

Dadpore  and  near  it  -  3 

From  Barrypore  to  Buhipore. 

Joynagur  -  -  -  -  2 

Moosilpore  -  -  -  -  1 

Bishnoopoor  -  -  -  3 

Balia  ------  1 

Gunga  Dwar  -  -  -  1 

Gochurun  Ghat  -  -  2 

Telia . 1 

From  Seebpore  to  Baleea. 

Khooter  Saer  -  -  -  1 

Sulkea  -----  3 

Ghoosri  Chokey  Ghat  2 
Balee  ------  3 

Seebpore  -  -  -  -  l 

From  Balee  to  Bydyabatee. 
Seram  pore  -  -  -  -  1 

From  Burahnagur  to  C ha  nek. 

Dukhincshwar  -  -  -  2 

Agurpara  -  -  -  -  4 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


255 


Saha  Gunge  -  -  -  2 

Bassbareea  -  -  -  -  2 

Bhudreshwur  -  -  -  1 

From  Calcutta  to  Burahnugur. 

Soorer  Bazar  -  '-  -  2 

Burah  nugur  -  -  -  2 

Kashipore  -  -  -  -  l 

Chiipore . 1 


Areeadoha  -  ...  3 

Chanuk  -----  1 

Sookchur  -  -  -  -  i 

Khurdoha  and  near  it  2 

From  Chanok  to  Kachrapara. 

Eeshapore  -  -  -  _  2 

Koomorhatta  -  -  -  2 

Kachrapara  -  -  -  -  3 

Bhatpara  1 

Total  (in  six  months)  77(3 


The  above  Report  was  made  by  persons  of  the  Hin¬ 
doo  cast,  deputed  for  that  purpose.  They  were  ten  in 
number,  and  were  stationed  at  different  places  during 
the  whole  period  of  the  six  months.  They  gave  in 
their  account  monthly,  specifying  the  name  and  place 
so  that  every  individual  instance  was  subject  to  invest¬ 
igation  immediately  after  its  occurrence. 

2.  By  an  account  taken  in  1803,  the  number  of  wo¬ 
men  sacrificed  during  that  year  within  thirty  miles 
round  Calcutta  was  two  hundred  and  seventy-five. 

3.  In  the  foregoing  Report  of  six  months  in  1  804,  it 
will  be  perceived  that  no  account  was  taken  of  burn¬ 
ings  in  a  district  to  the  west  of  Calcutta,  nor  further 
than  twenty  miles  in  some  other  directions  ;  so  that  the 
whole  number  of  burnings  within  thirty  miles  round 
Calcutta,  must  have  been  considerably  greater  than  is 
here  stated. 

4.  The  average  number  (according  to  the  above  Re¬ 
port)  of  women  burning  within  thirty  miles  round  Cal¬ 
cutta,  is  nearly  twenty  per  month. 

5.  One  of  the  above  was  a  girl  of  eleven  years  of  age. 
Instances  sometimes  occur  of  children  of  ten  years  old 
burning  with  their  husbands.* 

6.  In  November  of  last  year  two  women,  widows  of 
one  Brahmin,  burnt  themselves  with  his  body  at  Barna- 
gore,  within  two  miles  of  Calcutta. 

7.  About  the  same  time  a  woman  burnt  herself  at 
Kalee  Ghat,  with  the  body  of  a  man,  who  was  not  her 


*  They  often  marry  at  the  age  of  nine. 


256 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


husband.  The  man’s  name  was  Toteram  Doss.  The 
woman  was  a  Jogince  of  Seebpore. 

8.  In  the  province  of  Orissa,  now  subject  to  the  Bri¬ 
tish  government,  it  is  a  custom  that  when  the  wife  of  a 
man  of  rank  burns,  all  his  concubines  must  burn  with 
her.  In  the  event  of  their  refusal,  they  are  dragged 
forcibly  to  the  place  and  pushed  with  bamboos  into  the 
Jlaming  pit.  It  is  usual  there  to  dig  a  pit,  instead  of 
raising  a  pile.  The  truth  of  this  fact  (noticed  by  some 
writers)  is  attested  by  Pundits  now  in  the  College  of 
Fort- William,  natives  of  that  province. 

E. 

Religious  Mendicants. 

The  Hindoo  Shasters  commend  a  man  if  he  retire 
from  the  wqrld,  and,  devoting  himself  to  solitude,  or 
to  pilgrimage,  live  on  the  spontaneous  productions  of 
the  earth,  or  by  mendicity.  This  principle,  operating 
on  an  ignorant  and  superstitious  people,  has  in  the  rev¬ 
olution  of  ages  produced  the  consequence  which  might 
be  expected.  The  whole  of  Hindostan  swarms  with 
lay-beggars.  In  some  districts  there  are  armies  of  beg¬ 
gars.  They  consist,  in  general,  of  thieves  and  insol¬ 
vent  debtors  ;  and  are  excessively  ignorant,  and  noto¬ 
riously  debauched. 

This  begging  system  is  felt  as  a  public  evil  by  the  in¬ 
dustrious  part  of  the  community,  who,  from  fear  of  the 
despotic  power  and  awful  curse  of  this  fraternity,  dare 
not  withhold  their  contributions. 

These  beggars,  often  coming  into  large  towns  naked , 
outrage  decency,  and  seem  to  set  Christian  police  at 
defiance. 

The  Pundits  consider  these  mendicants  as  the  public 
and  licensed  corrupters  of  the  morals  of  the  people; 
and  they  affirm  that  the  suppression  of  the  order  would 
greatly  contribute  to  the  civil  improvement  of  the  na¬ 
tives  of  Hindostan. 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


257 


F. 

Different  Hindoo  Sects  in  Bengal. 

The  discrepancy  of  religious  belief  in  the  province 
of  Bengal  alone  (which  province  has  been  accounted 
the  strong  hold  of  the  Brahminical  superstition,)  will 
illustiate  the  general  state  of  the  other  provinces  of 
Hindostan. 

In  Bengal  there  are  five  classes  of  natives  who  are 
adverse  to  the  Brahminical  system  ;  and  who  may  be 
termed  Dissenters  from  the  Hindoo  practices  and  re¬ 
ligion. 

1.  The  followers  of  Chytunya  of  Nuddeea.  This 
philosopher  taught  that  there  is  no  distinction  of  cast  • 
a  tenet  which  alone  undermines  the  whole  system  of 

2.  The  followers  of  Ram  Doolal,  who  is  now  living 
at  Ghosepara,  near  Sookhsagur.  These  are  computed 
to  be  twenty  thousand  in  number,  and  are  composed  of 
every  denomination  of  Hindoos  and  Mussulmans, 
ihey  profess  a  kind  of  Deism.  Of  this  sect  some 
have  already  embraced  the  Christian  faith. 

3.  A  third  great  body  were  lately  followers  of  Shiv- 
eram  Doss,  at  Jugutanundu  Katee.  This  man,  who 
is  yet  alive,  was  believed  to  be  a  partial  incarnation  of 
the  Deity.  They  have  addressed  several  letters  to  the 
Protestant  missionaries,  and  are  ready  to  abjure  idol- 
worship  and  other  errors. 

4.  Another  class  ol  Hindoo  sceptics  is  to  be  found 
at  Lokcphool  in  Jessore.  Their  representative  at  this 
time  is  Neelo,  surnamed  the  Sophist.  Some  of  these 
have  repeatedly  visited  the  missionaries,  and  invited 
them  to  go  amongst  them.  They  have  received  the 
Bible  and  other  religious  books  in  the  Beno-alee  lan- 
guage,  which  they  now  teach  in  a  school  established 
ior  the  instruction  of  children. 

a.  T  he  fifth  class,  which  is  very  numerous,  profess 
respect  for  the  opinions  of  a  leader  named  Amoonee 
Sa,  residing  in  Muhummud  Shawi.  They  have  h  telv 
sent  two  deputations  to  the  Christian  missionaries,  re 
questing  a  conference  with  them  on  the  doctrines  of 
the  Gospel. 

x  2 


258 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


Now,  tc  what  forbids  that  these  men  should  be  bap- 
“  tized  ?”  We  do  not  offer  them  a  religion,  but  the 
people  themselves,  awake  to  their  own  concerns,  come 
to  us  and  ask  for  it.  What  policy,  what  philosophy  is 
that,  which  forbids  our  granting  their  request  ?  It  must 
certainly  have  been  an  ignorance  of  facts  which  has  so 
long  kept  alive  amongst  us  the  sentiment,  that  religion 
is  not  to  be  mentioned  to  the  natives. 

That  which  prevents  the  sects  above  mentioned  from 
renouncing  (even  without  our  aid)  all  connection  with 
Hindoos  or  Mussulmans,  is  the  want  of  precedent  in 
the  North  of  India  of  a  community  of  native  Chris¬ 
tians,  enjoying  political  consequence,  as  in  the  South. 
The  ignorance  of  the  people  is  so  great,  that  they 
doubt  whether  their  civil  liberties  are  equally  secure 
to  them  under  the  denomination  of  Christian,  as  under 
that  of  Hindoo  or  Mussulman  ;  and  they  do  not  under¬ 
stand  that  we  have  yet  recognised  in  our  code  of  native 
law,  any  other  sect  than  that  of  Hindoo  and  Mussul¬ 
man.* ** 

*  [The  opinion  of  Itev.  George  Lewis,  chaplain  at  Fort  St. 
George  in  1712,  wras  decidedly  in  favor  of  the  Protestant  Mission. 

1 1  is  local  situation,  unconnected  as  he  was  with  any  mission,  en¬ 
titles  his  judgment  to  respect.  “  The  Missionaries  at  Tranque* 
“  bar  ought  and  must  be  encouraged.  It  is  the  first  attempt  the 

"  Protestants  ever  have  made  in  that  kind . As  to  convert- 

**  ing  the  Natives  in  the  dominions  of  the  Rajahs,  and  the  great 
“  Mogul,  I  believe  it  may  be  done  in  either  without  notice  taken, 
w  provided  we  do  not  sound  a  trumpet  before  us.  In  the  Mogul's 
“  dominions,  eight  parts  in  ten,  in  most  of  the  provinces,  are 
“  Gentoos,  and  lie  never  troubles  his  head  what  opinion  they  era. 
u  brace.  But  to  tamper  with  his  Mussnlmen  is  not  safe. —  But  to 
“  give  you  my  sentiments  in  the  matter  ;  I  think  we  ought  to  be- 
“  gin  at  home :  for  there  are  thousands  of  people,  1  may  say 
“  some  hundreds  of  thousands,  who  live  in  the  settlements,  and 
“  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Honorable  Company,  at  Bombay, 
“  Fort  St.  David,  Fort  St.  George,  Calcutta  in  Bengal,  on  the 
f‘  West  Coast,  Stc.  who  may  be  converted  to  Christianity  without 
*■*  interfering  with  any  country  government  whatsoever.”  What 
additional  strength  has  this  argument  received  by  the  vast  acces¬ 
sion  of  territory  and  population  to  the  British  dominions  in  the 
East,  during  the  last  century!  Nearly  twenty  years  ago,  Str 
William  Junes  gave  it  as  his  judgment,  founded  on  an  actual  enu¬ 
meration  in  one  collectorship,  “  that  in  all  India  there  cannot  be 
*'  fewer  than  thirty  millions  or  black  British  subjects.” 

Amer,  £dit\ 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


255 


G. 

Ancient  civilization  of  India. 

The  constant  reference  of  some  authors  to  what  is 
termed  the  ancient  civilization  of  the  Hindoos,  gives 
currency  to  an  opinion  in  Europe,  that  the  natives  of 
India  are  yet  in  an  improved  state  of  society. 

It  is  probable  that  the  Hindoos  were  once  a  civilized 
people,  in  the  sense  in  which  the  ancient  Chaldeans 
and  ancient  Egyptians  are  said  to  have  been  civilized. 
The  result  of  the  most  accurate  researches  on  this  sub¬ 
ject,  appears  to  be  the  following. 

From  the  plains  of  Shinar,  at  the  time  of  the  disper¬ 
sion,  some  tribes  migrated  toward  the  East  to  India, 
and  some  toward  the  West  to  Egypt,  while  others  re¬ 
mained  in  Chaldea.  At  an  early  period,  we  read  of  the 
“  wisdom  and  learning  of  the  Egyptians,”  and  of  the 
Chaldeans;  and  it  is  probable  that  the  “wisdom  and 
“  learning”  of  the  Hindoos  were  the  same  in  degree,  at 
the  same  period  of  time.  In  the  mean  while  patriarchal 
tradition  (which  had  accompanied  the  different  tribes  at 
the  beginning)  pervaded  the  mythology  of  all. 

It  may  be  presumed  further,  that  the  systems  of  the 
Hindoos  would  remain  longer  unaltered  with  them,  by 
reason  of  their  remote  and  insulated  situation  ;  from 
which  circumstance  also,  their  writings  would  be  more 
easily  preserved. 

W e  collect  from  undoubted  historical  evidence,  that 
during  a  period  of  twelve  hundred  years,  a  free  inter¬ 
course  subsisted  between  India,  Egypt,  Greece,  and 
Chaldea.  Of  course  the  “  wisdom”  of  each  of  these 
nations  respectively  must  have  been  common  to  all,  and 
their  systems  of  theology  and  astronomy  would  have 
been  allied  to  each  other  ;  as  we  know  in  fact  they  were. 

.  How  it  happened,  by  the  mere  operation  of  natural 
causes,  that  Greece  and  Rome  should  have  left  Egypt 
and  India  so  far  behind,  is  yet  to  be  accounted  for; 
though  the  purpose  of  it  in  the  designs  of  the  divine 
providence,  is  very  evident. 

But  now  the  wisdom  of  the  East  hath  passed  away  with 
the  wisdom  of  Egypt ;  and  we  might  with  equal  justice- 


260 


APfENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


attribute  civilization  to  the  present  race  of  Egyptians, 
as  to  the  present  race  of  the  Hindoos. 

Historians  have  been  at  great  pains  to  collectvestiges 
of  theancient  civilization  of  the  Hindoos  ;  and  with  some 
success;  for  these  vestiges  are  asmanifestas  those  of  the 
early  civilization  of  Egypt  or  of  Chaldea.  Doctor  Rob¬ 
ertson  says,  that  he  prosecuted  his  laborious  investiga¬ 
tion  with  the  view  and  hope,  “  that,  if  his  account  of  the 
early  civilization  of  India  should  be  received  as  just  and 
well  established,  it  might  have  some  influence  upon  the 
behavior  of  Europeans  towards  that  people.”*  This  was 
a  humane  motive  of  our  celebrated  historian.  Eut  as  it 
is  difficult  for  us  to  respect  men  merely  for  the  civiliza¬ 
tion  of  their  forefathers,  a  more  useful  deduction  appears 
to  be  this  ;  that  since  the  Hindoos  are  proved  on  good  ev¬ 
idence,  to  have  been  a  civilized  people  in  former  days, 
we  should  endeavour  to  make  them  a  civilized  people 
again.  Doctor  Robertson  seems  to  think  that  the  Hin¬ 
doos  are  even  now  “  far  advanced  beyond  the  inhabitants 
“  of  the  two  other  quarters  of  the  globe  in  improve¬ 
ment.”  Such  a  sentiment  indeed  is  apt  to  force  itself 
on  the  mind,  from  a  mere  investigation  of  books.  But 
to  a  spectator  in  India,  the  improvement  alluded  to  will 
appear  to  be  very  partial;  and  the  quality  of  it  is  little 
understood  in  Europe.  It  is  true  that  the  natives  excel 
in  the  manual  arts  of  their  cast;  and  that  some  of  them, 
particularly  those  who  are  brought  up  amongst  Eu¬ 
ropeans,  acquire  a  few  ideas  of  civility  and  general 
know  ledge.  But  the  bulk  of  the  common  people,  from 
Cape  Comorin  to  Thibet,  are  not  an  improved  people. 
Go  into  a  village,  within  five  miles  of  Calcutta,  and  you 
will  find  an  ignorance  of  letters  and  of  the  world,  an 
intellectual  debility,  a  wretchedness  of  living,  and  a  bar¬ 
barism  of  appearance,  which,  by  every  account,  (making 
allowance  for  our  regular  government  and  plentiful 
country)  are  not  surpassed  among  the  natives  in  the  in¬ 
terior  of  Africa  or  back  settlements  of  America.!  On 

*  Dissertation  on  India,  page  335. 

f  See  Park  and  Mackenzie.  [Justice  requires,  that  the  abori¬ 
ginal  people  on  the  Malabar  coast  be  distinguished  from  most  of 
those  inhabiting  '•  from  Crpe  Comorin  to  Thibet.”  The  country, 
denominated  Proper  Malabar,  comprehends  a  tract  of  land,  be¬ 
ginning  at  Mount  Dilly,  in  the  latitude  of  12  north,  and  extend- 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


2'6i 


the  principle  of  some  late  philosophers,  that  those  men 
are  most  civilized,  tvho  approach  nearest  to  the  simpli¬ 
city  of  nature,  it  might  be  expected  perhaps  that  the 
Hindoos  are  a  civilized  people.  But  even  this  princi¬ 
ple  fails  them.  For  an  artificial  and  cruel  superstition 
debases  their  minds,  and  holds  them  in  a  state  of  de¬ 
gradation,  which  to  an  European  is  scarcely  credible. 

ing  to  Cape  Comorin,  and  is  bounded  inland  by  that  vast  chain 
of  mountains  which  separates  the  Malabarian  coast  from  the  Co¬ 
romandel.  The  inhabitants  of  this  region  differ  extremely,  in 
their  manners  and  customs,  from  those  of  the  more  northern 
parts,  though  separated  from  them  but  by  an  imaginary  line. 
“  Here  the  whole  government  and  people  wear  a  new  face  and 
“  form.’’  This  country  is  divided  into  a  multitude  of  petty  king¬ 
doms,  through  which  are  diffused  nearly  the  same  modes  of  re¬ 
ligion,  manners,  and  policy.  An  author,  who  visited  the  East 
Indies  about  half  a  century  ago,  having  men lioned  some  of  the 
peculiar  customs  of  this  people,  observes  :  “  From  such  strange 
“  customs  one  would  naturally  enough  conclude,  that  nothing 
“  but  such  a  barbarism  reigns  in  the  Malabar  as  among  the  sav- 
“  ages  of  America ;  yet  this  is  far  from  being  the  case.  The 
“  Malabavs  have  in  general  even  a  certain  politeness,  and  espe¬ 
cially  a  shrewdness  of  discernment  of  their  interests,  which 
“  those  who  deal  or  treat  with  them  are  sure  to  experience. 
“  Like  most  of  the  Orientalists,  they  are  grave,  know  perfectly 
“  well  how  to  keep  dignity,  and  are  great  observers  of  silence, 
“  especially  in  their  public  functions.  They  despise  and  distrust 
“  all  verboseness  in  the  management  of  state  affairs.  Their  ha- 
“  rangues  are  succinct  and  pathetic.  A  king  of  Travancore,  for 
“  example,  on  two  ambassadors  being  sent  to  him  by  the  Naick  of 
“  Madura,  a  neighbouring  prince,  and  one  of  them  having  made 
“  a  prolix  speech,  and  the  other  preparing  to  take  it  up  and  pro- 
“  ceed  in  the  same  manner,  where  the  other  had  left  off,  austere- 
“  ly  admonished  him  in  these  few  words,  “  Do  not  be  long,  life  is 
“  short  ”  Grose’s  Voyage  to  the  East  Indies,  i.  245. — The  art  of 
writing  on  palm  leaves,  were  there  no  other  evidence,  would 
alone  prove  the  ingenuity  and  former  cultivation  of  the  Malabar- 
ians.  When  the  Protestant  missionaries  first  visited  Malabar, 
this  art  was  familiar  to  the  natives.  The  orders  for  the  Synod  of 
Diamper  were  issued  on  palm  leaves,  written  after  the  manner  of 
the  country,  and  styled  Ollas.  “  L’  Archidiacre  envoya  de  tous 
“cotes  des  Ollas ,  on  Lettres  ecrites  ci  la  mam  ere  du  Pays  avec 
“  des  stilets  de  fer  sur  des  feuilles  de  Palmier.”  La  Croze.  Ma¬ 
ny  of  the  people  take  down  the  discourses  of  the  missionaries  on 
ollas,  that  they  may  read  them  afterward  to  their  families  at  home. 
As  soon  as  the  minister  has  pronounced  the  text,  the  sound  of 
the  iron  style  on  the  palm  leaf  is  heard  throughout  the  c-mgrega- 
tion.  This  art,  it  appears,  is  not  confined  to  the  Malabarian 


262 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


There  is  one  argument  against  the  possibility  of  their 
being  in  a  civilized  state,  which  to  the  accurate  investi¬ 
gators  of  the  human  miad  in  Europe,  will  appear  con¬ 
clusive.  The  cast  of  the  multitude,  that  is,  the  Sood- 
ers,  are  held  in  abhorrence  and  contempt  by  the  Brah¬ 
mins.  It  is  a  crime  to  instruct  them.  It  is  a  crime  for 
that  unhappy  race  even  to  hear  the  words  of  instruction. 
The  Sooder  is  considered  by  the  Brahmins  as  an  inferior 
species  of  being,  even  in  a  physical  sense  ;  intellectual 
incapacity  is  therefore  expected  and  patiently  endured , 
and  the  wretched  Sooder  is  supposed,  at  the  next  trans¬ 
migration  of  souls,  to  animate  the  body  of  a  monkey  or 
a  jackall. 

The  philosopher  of  Geneva  himself  would  not  have 
contended  for  the  civilization  of  the  Sooders. 

H. 

Excessive  Polygamy  of  the  Koolin  Brahmins. 

The  Brahmins  in  Bengal  accuse  individuals  of  their 
own  order  of  a  very  singular  violation  of  social  propri¬ 
ety  ;  and  the  disclosure  of  the  fact  will,  probably, 

coast,  but  is  practised  at  Tanjour.  “  The  natives  of  Tanjour 
“  and  Travancore  can  write  down  what  is  spoken  deliberately, 
“  without  losing  one  word.  They  seldom  look  at  their  ollas  while 
“  writing,  andean  write  in  the  dark  with  fluency  ”  See  Appen¬ 
dix  to  Star  in  the  East.  A  late  missionary  says,  that  they  “  write 
“  in  Tamili  short  hand  and  that  “  the  sermon  of  the  morning 
“  is  regularly  read  in  the  evening  by  the  Catechist  from  his  Pal- 
“  my  r a  leaf.”  The  first  Danish  missionaries  mention  this  art  as 
practised  at  Tranquebar  near  Travancore,  by  the  natives.  They 
also  describe  the  Malaburians  (and  such  ihey  appear  to  have  cal¬ 
led  the  natives  on  the  east  side  of  the  Peninsula,  as  far  as  the  seat 
of  their  mission)  as  “  a  witty  and  sagacious  people,”  and  as 
“  quick  and  sharp  enough  in  their  way”  Their  sagacity,  how¬ 
ever,  did  not  secure  them  from  the  grossest  idolatry  and  super¬ 
stition  ;  and  they  have  only  given  an  additional  proof  to  what  was 
before  furnished  by  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  that  the  world  by 
’wisdom  knew  not  God.  See  an  account  of  the  “  Idolatry  of  the 
“  Malabarians,”  in  the  Account  of  the  Danish  Mission  in  the  East 
Indies  For  an  account  of  the  literature  of  the  Hindoos,  see  Sir 
William  Jones’s  Dissertation  on  the  Literature  of  Asia. 

Amr.  Edit'. J 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


263 


place  the  character  of  the  venerable  Brahmin  in  a  new 
light. 

The  Koolins,  who  are  accounted  the  purest  and  the 
most  sacred  cast  of  the  Brahmins,  claim  it  as  a  privi¬ 
lege  of  their  order,  to  marry  an  hundred  wives.  And 
they  sometimes  accomplish  that  number ;  it  being  ac¬ 
counted  an  honour  by  other  Brahmins  to  unite  their 
daughters  to  a  Koolin  Brahmin.  The  wives  live  com¬ 
monly  in  their  father’s  houses  ;  and  the  Koolin  Brah¬ 
min  visits  them  all  round,  generally  once  a  year ;  on 
which  occasion,  he  receives  a  present  from  the  father. 
The  progeny  is  so  numerous  in  some  instances,  that  a 
statement  of  the  number  (recorded  in  the  registers  of 
the  cast)  would  scarcely  obtain  credit. 

As  in  the  case  of  human  sacrifices  at  Saugor,  and  of 
the  number  of  women  who  are  annually  burned  near 
Calcutta,  there  was  a  disposition  among  many  to  dis¬ 
credit  the  fact ;  it  may  be  proper  to  adduce  a  few  names 
and  places  to  establish  the  excessive  polygamy  of  the 
Koolin  Brahmins. 

The  Ghaut ucks,  or  registrars  of  the  Koolin  cast,  state, 
that  Rajeb  Bonnergee,  now  of  Calcutta,  has  forty  wives  • 
and  that  Rajchunder  Bonnergee,  also  of  Calcutta,  has 
forty-two  wives,  and  intends  to  marry  more  ;  that  Ram- 
raja  Bonnergee  of  Bicrampore,  aged  thirty  years,  and 
Pooran  Bonnergee,  Rajkissore  Chuttergee,  and  Roop- 
ram  Mookergee,  have  each  upwards  of  forty  wives,  and 
intend  to  marry  more  ;  that  Birjoo  Mookerges  of  Bic¬ 
rampore,  who  died  about  five  years  ago,  had  ninety 
wives  ;  that  Pertab  Bonnergee  of  Panchraw,  near  Burd- 
wan,  had  seventy  wives  ;  that  Ramkonny  Mookergee  of 
Jessore,  who  died  about  twelve  years  ago,  had  one  hun¬ 
dred  wives  :  and  that  Rogonaut  Mookergee  of  Bale 
Gerrea,  near  Santipore,  who  died  about  four  years  ago, 
had  upward  of  one  hundred  wives. 

The  effects  of  this  excessive  polygamy  are  very  per¬ 
nicious  to  society  ;  for  it  is  a  copious  source  of  female 
prostitution.  Some  of  these  privileged  characters 
make  it  a  practice  to  marry,  merely  for  the  dowry  of  a 
wife  ;  and  as  she  seldom  sees  her  husband  during  his 
life,  and  dare  not  marry  another  after  his  death,  she  has 
strong  temptations  to  an  irregular  conduct.  This  mo- 


264 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


nopoly  of  women  by  the  Koolin  Brahmins  is  justly  com¬ 
plained  of  by  Brahmins  of  the  other  orders  ;  and  they 
have  expressed  a  hope  that  it  will  be  abolished  by  au¬ 
thority.  They  affirm  that  this  (like  many  other  reign¬ 
ing  practices)  is  a  direct  violation  of  the  law  of  the 
Shusters,  which  does  not  allow  more  than  four  wives 
to  a  Brahmin. 


I. 

Testimonies  to  the  general  character  of  the  Hindoos. 

As  a  doubt  has  been  sometimes  expressed  regarding 
the  real  character  of  the  Hindoos,  and  it  has  been  sup¬ 
posed  that  their  degeneracy  only  commenced  in  the 
last  century,  we  shall  adduce  the  testimony  of  three 
competent  judges,  who  lived  at  different  periods  of 
time,  and  occupied  different  situations  in  life.  The 
first  is  a  king  of  Hindostan,  who  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  higher  classes  of  the  Hindoos  ;  the  second  a 
city  magistrate,  who  was  conversant  with  the  lower  clas¬ 
ses  :  and  the  third  an  author,  well  versed  in  their  my¬ 
thology,  and  intimately  acquainted  with  their  learned 
men.  The  concurring  testimony  of  these  witnesses  will 
be  received  with  more  respect  on  this  account,  that  the 
first  evidence  is  that  of  a  Mahomedan,  the  second  of  a 
modern  philosopher,  and  the  third  of  a  Christian  :  and 
to  these  we  shall  add  the  testimony  of  a  Brahmin  him¬ 
self. 

1.  In  the  Tuzuc  Timuri,  “  containing  maxims  of 
<c  Tamerlane  the  Great,  derived  from  his  own  experi- 
<£  ence,  for  the  future  government  of  his  conquests,” 
there  is  the  following  mandate  to  his  sons  and  states¬ 
men  : 

“  Know,  my  dear  children,  and  elevated  statesmen, 
“  that  the  inhabitants  of  Hindostan  and  Bengal  are 
cC  equally  debilitated  in  their  corporeal,  and  inert  in 
“  their  mental  faculties.  They  are  inexorable  in  tem- 
“  per,  and  at  the  same  time  so  penurious  and  sordid  in 
“  mind,  that  nothing  can  be  obtained  from  them  but  by 
<l  persona!  violence.  It  appears  unquestionable  to  me, 

“  that  this  people  are  under  the  displeasure  of  the  Al- 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


265 


“  mighty,  otherwise  a  prophet  would  have  been  appoint- 
“  ed  for  them,  to  turn  them  away  from  the  worship  of 
“  idols,  and  fire  and  cows,  and  to  direct  them  to  the  ado- 
“  ration  of  the  true  God.  Regardless  of  honour,  and  in- 
“  decent  in  their  dress,  they  sacrifice  their  lives  for  tri- 
u  fles  (they  give  their  souls  for  a  farthing,)  and  are  inde- 
“  fatigable  in  unworthy  pursuits ;  whilst  improvident  and 
“  imprudent,  their  ideas  are  confined  and  views  circum- 
u  scribed.  Like  those  demons  who,  with  a  view  to  de- 
“  ceive,  can  assume  the  most -specious  appearances,  so 
u  the  native  of  Hindostan  cultivates  imposture,  fraud, 
“  and  deception,  and  considers  them  to  be  meritorious 
“  accomplishments.  Should  any  person  entrust  to  him 
“  the  care  of  his  property,  that  person  will  soon  be- 
“  come  only  the  nominal  possessor  of  it. 

u  The  tendency  of  this  my  mandate  to  you  states- 
“  men,  is,  to  preclude  a  confidence  in  their  actions,  or 
“  an  adoption  of  their  advice.*  But  should  their  as- 
“  sistance  be  necessary,  employ  them  as  the  mechani- 
“  cal,  and  support  them  as  the  living  instruments  of 
“  labor.”  Asiatic  Miscellany,  Vol.  III.  p.  179. 

2.  The  second  testimony  to  the  general  character  of 
the  Hindoos  shall  be  that  of  Mr.  Holwell,  who  was  a 
city  magistrate  of  Calcutta  about  the  middle  of  last  cen¬ 
tury.  Mr.  Hohvell  calls  himself  a  philosopher;  and, 
as  such,  he  is  an  admirer  of  the  Hindoo  mythology, 
and  alleges  that  a  Brahmin  would  be  a  perfect  model 
of  piety  and  purity,  if  he  would  only  attend  to  the  pre¬ 
cepts  of  the  Shasters. 

“  The  Gentoos,  in  general,  are  as  degenerate,  craf- 
“  superstitious,  litigious,  and  wicked  a  people  as 
u  any  race  of  beings  in  the  known  world,  if  not  emi- 
<k  nently  more  so,  especially  the  common  run  of  Brah- 
“  mins;  and  we  can  truly  aver,  that  during  almost  five 
“  years,  that  we  presided  in  the  judicial  Cutcherry  Court 
“  of  Calcutta, never  any  murder,  or  other  atrocious  crime, 

*  Marquis  Cornwallis  was  never  known,  during  his  adminis¬ 
tration  in  India,  to  admit  a  native  to  his  confidence.  Under  the 
administration  of  Marquis  Wellesley  there  is  a  total  exclusion  of 
native  counsel. 


Y 


266 


AIFENDIX  TO  MEMOIR, 


“  came  before  us,  but  it  was  proved  in  the  end  that  a 
u  Brahmin  was  at  the  bottom  of  it.”f 

3.  At  Benares,  the  fountain  of  Hindoo  learning  and 
religion,  where  Capt.  Wilford,  author  of  the  Essays 
on  the  Indian  and  Egyptian  Mythology,  has  long  re¬ 
sided  in  the  society  of  the  Brahmins,  a  scene  has  been 
lately  exhibited*  which  certainly  has  never  had  a  par¬ 
allel  in  any  other  learned  society  in  the  world. 

The  Pundit  of  Capt.  Wilford  having,  for  a  consid¬ 
erable  time,  been  guilty  of  interpolating  his  books,  and 
of  fabricating  new  sentences  in  old  works,  to  answer  a 
particular  purpose,  wras  at  length  detected  and  publicly 
disgraced.  As  a  last  effort  to  save  his  character,  “  he 
“  brought  ten  Brahmins,  not  only  as  his  compurgators 
“  but  to  swear  by  what  is  most  sacred  in  their  religion 
<£  to  the  genuineness  of  the  extracts.”!  Capt.  Wilford 
would  not  permit  the  ceremonial  of  perjury  to  take 
place,  and  dismissed  them  from  his  presence  with  in¬ 
dignation. 

Among  what  tribe  of  barbarians  in  America,  or  in 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  could  there  be  found  so  many  of 
their  principal  men,  in  one  place,  who  would  come 
forth,  and  confirm  a  falsehood  in  the  presence  of  their 
countrymen,  by  a  solemn  act  of  the  country’s  religion, 
like  these  learned  disciples  of  Brahma  at  Benares  ! 

4.  To  the  foregoing  we  shall  add  the  testimony  of  a 
Brahmin  himself,  extracted  from  a  paper,  entitled  “  A 
“  Defence  of  the  Hindoos.” — “  These  ravages  of  Hin- 
“  doslan  (from  the  repeated  invasion  of  the  Mussul- 
“  mans)  so  disturbed  the  peace  of  the  country,  that  the 
“  principles  of  its  inhabitants  were  confounded,  their 
<£  learning  degraded,  and  their  customs  entirely  forgot- 
££  ten.  Thus  reduced,  having  no  means  of  support, 
,£  they  were  induced  to  practise  the  vices  forbidden 
“  them  ;  they  would  have  become  savages ,  or  have 
££  been  entirely  rooted  out,  had  not  the  glorious  British 
££  nation  established  the  standard  of  their  government.” 

See  Defence  of  the  Hindoos  against  Mr.  Newnham’s 
College  Essay  ;  by  Senkariah,  a  learned  Brahmin  at 
Madras.  Madras  Gazette,  10th  November,  1804. 

f  Holwell’s  Historical  Events,  p.  152. 

4  Asiat.  lies.  Vol.  VIII.  p.  28. 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR, 


267 


K. 

Jewish  Scriptures  at  Cochin, 

There  is  reason  to  believe  that  scriptural  records, 
older  than  the  apostolic,  exist  on  the  coast  of  Malabar. 
At  Cochin  there  is  a  colony  of  Jews,  who  retain  the 
tradition  that  they  arrived  in  India  soon  after  the  Baby¬ 
lonian  captivity.  There  are  in  that  province  two  clas¬ 
ses  of  Jews,  the  white  and  the  black  Jews.  The  black 
Jews  are  those  who  are  supposed  to  have  arrived  at  that 
early  period.  ri  he  white  Jews  emigrated  from  Europe 
in  later  ages.  What  seems  to  countenance  the  tradi¬ 
tion  of  the  black  Jews  is,  that  they  have  copies  of  those 
books  of  the  Old  Testament  which  were  written  pre¬ 
viously  to  the  captivity,  but  none  of  those  whose  dates 
are  subsequent  to  that  event. 

Some  years  ago  the  President  of  Yale  College,  in 
America,  an  eminent  archaiologist,  addressed  a  letter 
to  Sir  William  Jones,  on  the  subject  of  these  manu¬ 
scripts,  proposing  that  an  inquiry  should  be  instituted 
by  the  Asiatic  Society ;  but  Sir  William  died  before 
the  letter  arrived.  His  object  was  to  obtain  the  whole 
©f  the  fifth  chapter  of  Genesis,  and  a  collation  of  cer¬ 
tain  other  passages  in  the  Old  Testament;  and  also  to 
ascertain  whether  the  MSS.  at  Cochin  were  written  in 
the  present  Hebrew  character,  or  in  another  Oriental 
Palaeography.* 

*  .[The  particular  design  of  the  late  President  Stiles,  in  so- 
liciting  this  inquiry,  was  to  ascertain,  whether  the  copy  of  the 
Pentateuch,  belonging’  to  the  Jews  at  Cochin  (supposing  them  to 
possess  a  Hebrew  copy  of  remote  derivation,)  accords  with  the 
Hebrew,  the  Septuagint,  or  the  Samaritan.  The  difference  be¬ 
tween  these  copies  of  the  Old  Testament,  in  the  chronology  of  the 
patriarchal  ages,  is  known  to  be  great ;  and  he  was  very  desirous 
to  determine,  it  possible,  which  is  correct  Although  Sir  Wil¬ 
liam  Jones  died  before  the  President’s  Letter  reached  India,  a 
mem  ber  of  the  Asiatic  Society  Acknowledged  the  receipt  of  it,  in¬ 
forming,  that  it  was  read  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Society  after 
its  reception  ;  and  that  it  would  be  answered  by  Sir  John  Shore 
the  President  of  the  Society,  as  soon  as  he  should  receive  replies 
to  the  inquiries  which  he  had  directed  to  be  made  at  Cochin  and 
Cranganore,  respecting  the  points  which  “  the  laudable  zeal”  of 
the  writer  “  wished  to  have  ascertained.”-!— The  long  wished  for 

t  See  Life  of  President  Stiles. 


26$ 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMO». 


In  the  year  1748,  Mr.  Romaine,  the  learned  editor  of 
Calasio’s  Hebrew  Dictionary,  was  meditating  a  voyage 
to  India,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  consulting  these  man¬ 
uscripts. 

The  latest  information  respecting  them  is  contained 
in  a  letter  lately  received  from  a  learned  missionary  in 
the  south  of  the  peninsula,  who  had  resided  for  some 
time  in  the  vicinity  of  Cochin.  He  states,  that  he  “  had 
“  constantly  been  informed  that  the  Jews  at  Cochin  had 
“  those  books  only  of  the  Old  Testament  which  were 

inquiry  has  at  length  been  made  by  the  respectable  Author  of  this 
Memoir,  under  the  auspicies  of  the  Marquis  Wellesley;  and  it 
appears,  that  the  black  Jews  colonized  on  the  coasts  of  India  long 
before  the  Christian  sera ;  that  the  very  imperfect  resemblance  of 
their  countenance  to  the  Jews  of  Europe,  indicates  that  they 
have  been  detached  from  the  parent  stock  in  Judea,  many  ages 
before  the  race  of  Jews  in  the  West ;  and  that  they  are  descend* 
ants  from  those  ancient  dispersions  recorded  in  the  Sacred  Histo¬ 
ry  ;  that  corrobative  of  this  is  the  fact,  that  certain  of  these  tribes 
do  not  call  themselves  Jeivs,  but  Beni-Itrael ,  or  Israelites  ;  that 
in  the  record  chests  of  the  synagogues  of  the  Black  Jews  of  Co¬ 
chin  have  been  discovered  old  copies  of  the  Law,  some  of  which 
are  complete,  and  for  the  most  part  legible;  that  at  the  remote 
synagogues  of  the  same  description  of  Jews,  situated  at  Tritooa, 
Paroor,  Chenotta,  and  Maleh,  have  been  found  many  old  writings, 
among  which  are  some  of  great  length  in  Rabbinical  Hebrew,  but 
in  so  ancient  and  uncommon  a  character,  as  to  require  much  time 
and  labor  to  ascertain  their  contents  ;  that  they  have,  in  most 
places,  the  book  of  the  Law,  the  book  of  Job,  and  the  Psalms, 
but  know  little  of  the  Prophets  ;  that  some  of  them  have  even  lost 
the  book  of  the  Law,  and  only  know  that  they  are  Israelites  from 
tradition*  and  from  their  observance  of  peculiar  rites  ;  and  that 
in  a  coffer  of  a  synagogue  of  the  Black  Jews,  in  the  interior  of 
Malayala,  there  has  been  found  an  old  copy  of  the  Law,  written 
on  a  roll  of  leather,  about  50  feet  long,  composed  of  skins  sewed 
together,  so  worn  out,  in  some  places,  as  to  be  patched  with  pie¬ 
ces  of  parchment.  Dr.  Buchanan  brought  from  India  a  collec¬ 
tion  of  Oriental  Manuscripts,  chiefly  Biblical,  written  in  the  He¬ 
brew,  Syriac,  and  Ethiopic  languages;  and  presented  them  to 
the  University  of  Cambridge  in  England.  The  Hebrew  manu« 
scripts  were  obtained  from  the  Black  Jews ;  and  among  them,  it 
is  presumed,  is  the  old  copy  of  the  Law  above  described  ;  for  the 
person  employed  in  arranging  and  collating  the  Oriental  Manu¬ 
scripts  for  the  Library,  to  which  they  are  presented,  observes  ; — • 
“  A  copy  of  the  Hebrew  Pentateuch,  written  on  goat  skins,  and 
“  found  in  one  of  their  synagogues,  is  in  the  Buchanan  collection.” 

Jbiwr.  Edit.} 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


269 


K  written  before  the  Babylonian  captivity ;  and  that 
“  thence  it  is  generally  believed  by  the  Christians  of  the 
“  Deccan,  that  they  had  come  to  India  soon  after  that 
“  event.  He  adds,  that  the  MSS.  were  on  a  material 
“  resembling  paper,  in  the  form  of  a  roll,  and  that  the 
“  character  had  a  strong  resemblance  to  Hebrew,  if  not 
“  Hebrew.” 

By  the  inspection  of  these  MSS.  some  light  might  be 
thrown  on  the  controversy  respecting  (1  )  the  Hebrew 
and  Samaritan  letters  ;  (2.)  the  antiquity  of  the  vowel 
points ;  (3.)  the  Scripture  chronology  ;  and  (4.)  the 
correctness  of  the  European  copies  of  the  Old  Testa¬ 
ment.  Dr.  Kennicott  complains  of  a  practice  among 
the  Western  Jews  of  altering  many  copies  to  a  con- 
formity  with  some  particular  manuscript.  He  also  ac¬ 
cuses  them  of  wilful  corruption  ;  as  in  expunging  the 
word  “*7^  ”  in  Deut.  xxvii.  26.  Bishop  Louth  sus¬ 
pects  them  of  leaving  out  words  in  certain  places,  to  in¬ 
validate  the  argument  of  the  Christians;  as  for  example, 
“JIVQ4*  ”  Isaiah  liii.  8. ;  where  the  Septuagint  read  “  eig 
But  Jews  in  the  East,  remote  from  the  learn¬ 
ed  controversy  of  Christians,  would  have  no  motive  for 
such  corruptions. 

It  is  in  contemplation  of  the  Author  of  this  Memoir 
to  visit  Cochin,  previously  to  his  return  from  India,  for 
the  express  purpose  of  investigating  these  ancient  Jew¬ 
ish  records  ;  and  also  of  examining  the  books  of  the 
Nestorian  Christians,  who  are  said  to  possess  some  MSS. 
in  the  Chaldaic  character,  of  a  high  antiquity.* 

*  [Dr.  Buchanan  fulfilled  his  intention.  In  1806,  he  travelled 
from  Calcutta  to  Cape  Comorin  by  land  ;  and  proceeded  from  the 
sea  coast  into  the  interior  of  the  country,  north  east  from  Quilon. 
Jnthis  sequestered  region  of  Hindostan  he  found  churches,  where, 
the  inhabitants  informed  him,  no  European  had,  to  their  knowl¬ 
edge,  visited  before.  It  appears,  that  the  number  of  Syi  ian  chur¬ 
ches  is  greater  than  had  been  supposed;  that  there  are,  at  this  time, 
55  churches  in  Malayala,  acknowledging  the  Patriarch  of  Antioch, 
and  estimated  to  contain  23,000  people  ;  that  their  doctrines  are 
not  at  variance  in  essentials  with  the  church  of  England ;  that 
their  bishops,  and  the  metropolitan,  after  conferring  with  his  cler¬ 
gy  on  the  subject,  delivered  the  following  opinion  :  “  That  an  union 
“  with  the  English  church,  or  at  least  such  a  connexion  as  should 
“  appear  to  both  churches  practicable  and  expedient,  would  be  an 
“  happy  event,  and  favourable  to  the  advancement  of  religion  •” 

v  2 


270 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR 


L. 

Shanscrit  Testimonies  of  Christ. 

The  learned  Wilford,  who  has  resided  for  many  years 
at  Benares,  the  fountain  ofShanscrit  literature,  and  has 
devoted  himself  entirely  to  researches  into  Hindoo  my¬ 
thology  and  Oriental  history,  has  just  finished  a  work 
which  will  be  received  with  much  satisfaction  by  the 
public.  It  is  a  record  of  the  testimonies  contained  in 
the  Shanscrit  writings  of  the  truth  of  the  Christian  reli¬ 
gion. 

This  work  which  is  yet  in  manuscript,  is  now  in  cir¬ 
culation  (January,  1805)  with  the  members  of  the  Asi¬ 
atic  Society,  previously  to  its  publication  in  the  Asiatic 
Researches.  It  is  entitled,  “  Salivahana ;  the  Son  of 
“  the  Jacshaca,  or  Carpenter  ;  or  introduction  of  the 

that  it  is  in  contemplation  to  send  to  England  some  of  the  Syrian 
youth,  for  education  and  ordination  ;  that  the  old  Syrians  have 
continued,  till  lately  to  receive  their  bishops  from  Antioch,  but 
that  ancient  Patriarchate  being-  now  nearly  extinct,  and  incompe¬ 
tent  to  the  appointment  of  learned  men,  “  the  Christian  church  in 
“  Malayala  looks  henceforth  to  Britain  for  the  continuance  of  that 
“  light  winch  has  shone  so  long  in  this  dark  region  of  the  world 
that  Dr.  Buchanan  was  about  to  commence  the  Malayalam  transla¬ 
tion  of  the  Scriptures,  and  that  there  are  200,000  Christians*  in  Ma¬ 
layalam,  who  are  ready  to  receive  it ;  that  there  are  various  an¬ 
cient  Syrio-Chaldaic  manuscripts  in  Malayala;  that  a  volume  has 
keen  found  in  a  remote  church  of  the  mountains,  containing  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments,  engrossed  on  strong  vellum  in  large 
folio,  having  three  columns  in  the  page,  written  with  beautiful  ac¬ 
curacy,  in  the  Estrangelo  Syriac  (the  character  in  which  the  oldest 
Syrian  manuscripts  are  written,)  and  illuminated  ;  that  the  Syrian 
church  assigns  to  this  manuscript  a  high  antiquity ;  and  that  it  has 
been  handed  down  to  the  present  time  under  circumstances  so 
peculiarly  favourable  to  accurate  preservation,  as  may  justly  enti¬ 
tle  it  to  respect,  in  the  collation  of  doubtful  readings  in  the  sacred 
text.  This  volume  was  presented  to  Dr.  Buchanan  by  Mar  Diony¬ 
sius,  the  archbishop  of  the  Indian  church,  and  is  now  deposited 
among  the  Oriental  Manuscripts  in  the  public  library  of  the  Uni¬ 
versity  of  Cambridge.  Amer.  Edit.~\ 

*  In  this  estimate  are  included  ~.vith  the  old  Syrian  (~ commonly  called 
St.  Thome,  or  Jacobite)  Christians,  the  Syrian  Homan  Catholics,  and 
the  Latin  Roman  Catholics.  In  some  American  Editions  of  the  Star 
in  the  East  it  is  incorrectly  printed  20,000. 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


271 


«  Christian  Religion  into  India  ;  its  Progress  and  De- 
«  cline.” 

From  these  evidences  it  appears,  that  the  prophecies 
of  the  Old  Testament  were  recorded  in  the  Shanscrit 
Puranas  of  India,  as  in  the  Sybilline  books  of  Rome  ; 
that  the  rumour  of  the  universal  dominion  of  the  Mes¬ 
siah  had  alarmed  the  emperors  of  the  East  as  well  as 
the  emperors  of  Rome  ;  and  that  holy  men  journeyed 
from  the  East,  directed  by  a  miraculous  star,  to  see  the 
heavenly  child.  It  further  appears,  that  many  of  the 
Shanscrit  writings  to  which  had  been  attributed  a  vast 
antiquity,  were  not  only  composed  after  the  Christian 
sera,  but  contain  particulars  of  the  advent,  birth,  life, 
miracles,  death,  resurrection,  and  ascension  of  our  Sa¬ 
viour. 

To  establish  fully  the  authenticity  of  these  important 
records,  and  to  invite  investigation,  Captain  Wilford 
has  deposited  his  authorities  and  vouchers  in  the  libra¬ 
ry  of  the  College  of  Fort-William,  and  among  the  ar- 
chieves  of  the  Asiatic  Society. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  work  the  learned  author  thus 
expresses  himself;  “  I  have  written  this  account  of  the 
“  Christian  religion  with  the  impartiality  of  an  histori- 
«  an  ;  fully  persuaded  that  our  holy  religion  cannot  pos- 
“  sibly  receive  any  additional  lustre  from  it.” 


M. 

Chinese  Version  of  the  Scriptures  ;  and  Chinese  Lite¬ 
rature. 

1.  The  projected  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into 
the  Chinese  language  in  England,  which,  we  under¬ 
stand,  has  already  obtained  the  most  respectable  patron¬ 
age,  is  considered  here  as  an  undertaking,  which  will 
be  attended  with  extreme  difficulty,  if  it  be  not  found  al¬ 
together  impracticable.  Before  any  commencement 
be  made,  the  subject  ought  certainly  to  be  maturely- 
considered,  both  in  regard  to  the  expense  and  the  exe¬ 
cution.  The  estimate  is  stated  to  be  thirty  thousand 
pounds  sterling,  and  doubtless  the  expense  of  executing 
the  work  in  the  proposed  form,  by  types,  (or  even  by  cop- 


272 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


perplate,  which  would  be  the  cheapest  and  perhaps  the 
only  practicable  mode  in  England,)  is  not  over-rated  at 
that  sum. 

2.  But  who  is  to  translate  the  work  ?  Dr.  Montucci’s 
Dictionary,  now  in  the  press,  must  indeed  be  a  valuable 
performance,  (judging  from  the  genuineness  of  the  ma¬ 
terials  and  the  erudition  of  the  compiler,)  and  it  will  be 
of  considerable  use  to  any  translator  whether  in  China 
or  in  England.  But  will  the  united  labours  of  Dr.  Mon- 
tucci  and  Dr.  Hager  ever  produce  a  chapter  of  the  Bi¬ 
ble  which  will  be  intelligible  to  a  native  of  China  ? 
Without  the  aid  of  learned  natives  of  the  country  to 
write  their  own  language,  or  to  hear  it  read  by  the 
translator,  no  work  of  this  kind  can  be  proscuted  with 
any  confidence  of  its  utility.  This  has  been  sufficiently 
proved  to  us  in  the  versions  in  other  Oriental  langua¬ 
ges  (much  more  simple  than  the  Chinese)  which  have 
been  undertaken  at  the  College  of  Fort-William.  Even 
the  Arabic  Bible,  which  is  now  republishing  in  Eng¬ 
land,  can  never  be  useful  as  a  popular  work  in  Arabia,  it 
being  composed  in  the  classic,  and  not  in  the  vernacu¬ 
lar  dialect  of  that  country.  For  a  similar  reason  the  old 
Persian  translation  is  of  no  use  in  Persia. 

3.  But  even  supposing  a  Chinese  version  of  the  Scrip¬ 
tures  to  have  been  executed  in  England,  how  is  it  to  be 
printed  ?  or  in  what  form  presented  to  the  Chinese  ? 
Has  it  been  seriously  proposed  to  print  it  in  a  moveable 
type,  and  on  English  paper  !  It  ought  to  be  printed,  not 
in  the  moveable  type,  nor  in  the  stereo-type,  but  in  the 
mode  commonly  used  in  China.  The  characters  are  by 
the  Chinese  engraved  on  a  tablet  of  wood  the  size  of  the 
page,  and  the  impression  is  thrown  off,  as  by  copper¬ 
plates  in  England.  At  Canton,  the  dispatches  from  Pe¬ 
kin  which  arrive  in  the  morning,  are  put  into  the  hands 
of  the  engraver,  and  the  newspaper  is  thrown  off  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  same  day.  We  have  Chinese  artists 
now  in  Calcutta,  who  engrave  on  wood  with  neatness 
and  accuracy ;  and  who  are  competent  to  engrave  the 
whole  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  Chinese  manner  ;  and 
to  print  them  on  China  paper,  and  in  such  a  form,  that 
the  book  shall  appear  to  have  been  published  in  China. 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


273 


If  in  this  projected  translation  at  home,  the  real  ob- 
icct  be  utility  to  the  Chinese  people,  by  affording  to 
them  a  faithful  record  of  the  revealed  word  of  God  in 
their  vernacular  tongue,  we  have  no  hesitation  in  affirm¬ 
ing  that  that  object  will  be  attained  with  more  certain 
advantage,  by  remitting  one-fourth  of  the  sum,  which 
it  has  been  proposed  to  embark,  in  the  undertaking  in 
England,  to  the  College  of  Fort-William  in  Bengal  : 
which  institution,  it  may  be  observed,  (independently 
of  this  particular  object,  and  considered  merely  as  the 
fountain  of  Christian  knowledge  to  the  Oriental  world,) 
is  well  entitled  to  the  ample  support  of  every  Christian 
church  and  religious  society  in  Europe. 

4.  Since  the  College  Report  of  Literature,  published 
in  September  last,  (1804,)  a  commencement  has  been 
made  in  translating  the  scriptures  in  the  Chinese  lan¬ 
guage.  The  book  of  Genesis  and  the  Gospel  of  St. 
Matthew  are  in  course  of  translation  ;  and  some  chap¬ 
ters  of  each  have  already  been  printed  oft. 

The  translator  is  Johannas  Lassar,  a  native  of  China, 
and  professor  of  the  Chinese  language,  assisted  by 
a  Chinese  moonshee.  He  was  lately  employed  by 
the  Portuguese  government  at  Macao,  in  conducting  a 
correspondence  with  the  court  at  Pekin.  Being  an 
Armenian  Christian,  he  translates  from  the  Armenian 
Bible. 

It  must  be  known  to  some  of  the  learned  in  Europe, 
that  the  Armenian  version  of  the  Scriptures  is  one  of 
the  most  accurate  extant.  It  is  also  remarkable  for  its 
antiquity;  being  among  the  first  translations  after  the 
Septuagint ;  and  is  styled  by  the  learned  Orientalists, 
Golius  and  La  Croze,  the  “queen  of  versions.”  Though 
the  Armenian  language  have  no  affinity  to  the  Hebrew, 
or  to  any  other  language  in  the  world,  it  abounds  in  the 
Oriental  idiom  ;  and  this  Bible  is  therefore  considered 
by  us  as  eminently  useful  in  collating  new  versions  in 
the  Oriental  tongues.  The  translators  of  the  Armenian 
Bible  (called  the  Interpreters)  were  famed  for  their  piety 
and  learning  ;  their  lives  are  recorded  in  Armenian 
history  in  the  fifth  century  of  our  aera,  and  their  transla¬ 
tion  is  reverenced  by  their  nation  as  an  inspired  work. 
From  this  Armenian  original,  our  translator  (who  is  ig- 


274 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


norant  of  the  Greek  and  Hebrew  languages)  is  ena^ 
bled  to  render  a  faithful  version  into  the  language  of 
China. 

We  expect  soon  to  be  in  possession  of  those  portions  of 
the  Scriptures  which  have  been  translated  into  the  Chi¬ 
nese  language  by  the  Romish  missionaries }  and  which 
are  interspersed  in  their  missals,  and  catechetical  books. 
These  specimens  will  be  of  use  in  the  general  collation 
of  the  text,  and  particularly  in  translating  proper  names  ; 
since  it  would  be  improper  to  deviate  unnecessarily 
from  the  expressions  already  familiar  in  China. 

The  mode  which  has  been  adopted  for  editing  the  Chi¬ 
nese  Bible,  is  the  following  : 

Each  verse  is  printed  in  English,  in  columns  of  one 
or  two  lines,  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of  the  page,  and 
the  Chinese  version  is  printed  in  the  usual  manner,  in  a 
corresponding  column.  The  English  is  introduced  with 
a  view  to  render  the  work  a  good  class  book  for  students 
in  the  Chinese  language.  The  whole  is  translated  in  the 
Mandarine  dialect  ;  but  wherever  there  appears  a  dan¬ 
ger  of  the  sense  being  misunderstood,  there  are  mar¬ 
ginal  readings  in  the  familiar  dialects. 

5.  On  the  expediency  of  publishing  the  Scriptures  in 
China,  we  shall  offer  a  few  observations. 

It  is  the  solemn  duty  of  our  imperial  nation  to  dif¬ 
fuse  Christian  knowledge  throughout  the  world  at  all 
times ;  but  more  particularly  at  those  periods,  when 
the  providence  of  God  shall  point  out  to  her  the  means 
of  doing  it,  and  at  the  same  time,  offer  to  her  advan¬ 
tage ,  by  the  execution.  To  the  East  and  West  of 
peaceful  Hindostan,  there  is  a  “  shaking  of  the  na- 
“  tions.”  This  seems  to  be  favorable  not  only  to  our 
own  stability,  but  to  the  extension  of  our  civilizing  in¬ 
fluence  in  Asia.  The  Wahabiansto  the  West  are  ex¬ 
tinguishing  Mahomedanism.  And  the  enemies  of  the 
Tartar  dynasty  in  China  threaten  the  overthrow  of  that 
ancient  government.  After  a  slumber  of  many  ages, 
that  mighty  empire  seems  to  be  on  the  eve  of  a  terri¬ 
ble  convulsion.  The  spirit  of  insurrection  which  broke 
forth  about  five  years  ago  in  the  western  provinces,  is 
now  diffusing  itself  towards  the  eastern  parts  of  the 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR. 


275 


empire  ;  and  a  prophecy  is  spread  abroad  that  the  end 
of  the  Tartar  dominion  is  at  hand. 

The  Chinese  are  permitted  by  existing  law,  to  choose 
what  religion  they  please  ;  the  present  emperor  and 
his  court  profess  one  faith,  and  the  people  another. 
They  are  a  curious  and  inquisitive  race,  and  would  most 
certainly  read  any  new  book  which  should  be  put  into 
their  hands.  “  The  press  in  China,”  says  Mr.  Barrow, 
“  is  as  free  as  in  England,  and  the  profession  of  print- 
u  ing  open  to  every  one.  It  was  the  press  in  Europe 
“  that  openad  a  free  access  to  the  doctrines  of  that  reli- 
“  gion,  which  of  all  others,  is  best  calculated  for  the 
u  promotion  of  individual  happiness  and  public  vir- 
“  tue.”*  The  copies  of  the  bible  would  soon  be  multi¬ 
plied  in  China.  If  an  individual  (a  prime  mover  of  the 
revolutionary  opinions  in  Europe)  found  means  to  send 
his  u  Rights  of  Man”  to  China,!  shall  not  our  nation¬ 
al  zeal  in  the  defence  of  truth  and  of  social  happiness 
urge  us  to  diffuse  among  that  people  a  code  of  nobler 
principles  ?  There  are  no  arguments  against  this  meas¬ 
ure  of  a  benign  philosophy  and  true  philanthropy,  buC 
those  which  are  contained  in  the  Books  of  Voltaire  and 
Rousseau. 

6.  The  British  nation,  though  so  intimately  connect¬ 
ed  with  China  by  commercial  negociation,  has  no  insti¬ 
tution  for  instruction  in  the  Chinese  language  at  home 
or  abroad.  The  consequences  of  such  disadvantage,  on 
our  influence ,  our  character ,  and  our  commerce  at  Can¬ 
ton,  are  well  illustrated  by  an  authentic  historian,  who 
had  the  best  opportunities  of  obtaining  information  on 
the  subject.^ 

If  it  be  possible  any  where  to  furnish  to  Europeans 
the  means  of  regular  instruction  in  the  Chinese  lan¬ 
guage,  it  may  be  expected  at  the  College  of  Fort  Wil¬ 
liam  in  Bengal ;  our  propinquity  to  China  affording 
opportunities  of  obtaining  a  constant  supply  of  teach¬ 
ers  and  books ;  and  of  maintaining  a  regular  corres¬ 
pondence  with  its  learned  men.  Our  territories  on  the 

*  See  Barrow’s  Travels;  page  392.  f  Ibid.  396. 

t  John  Barrow,  Esq.  Secretary  to  Lord  Macartney’s  Embassy, 
See  his  Travels  in  China,  page  616.  Mr  Barrow  is  the  only  wri¬ 
ter  from  Kircher  downwards,  who  has  illustrated  China. 


2T6 


APPENDIX  TO  MEMOIR, 


continent  are  contiguous  to  the  Chinese  frontier  ;  and 
our  islands  are  resorted  to  by  the  Chinese  people. 

The  French  are  at  this  time  cultivating  the  Chinese 
language  with  great  assiduity  ;  and  no  doubt  with  a 
prospect  of  certain  advantage.  We  have  in  India  sat¬ 
isfactory  evidence  that  they  meditate  an  embassy  to 
China,  or  a  descent  on  Cochin  China,  as  soon  as  peace 
in  Europe  shall  give  them  opportunity. §  “The  F rench,” 
says  Mr.  Barrow,  “  aware  of  the  solid  advantages 
“  that  result  from  the  knowledge  of  languages,  are  at 
“  this  time  holding  out  every  encouragement  to  the  stu- 
“  dy  of  Chinese  literature  ;  obviously  not  without  de- 
‘c  sign.  They  know  that  the  Chinese  character  is  un- 
u  derstood  from  the  gulf  of  Siam  to  the  Tartarian  Sea, 
“  and  over  a  very  considerable  part  of  the  great  Eastern 
“  Archipelago ;  and  that  the  Cochin  Chinese,  with 
“  whom  they  have  already  firmly  rooted  themselves,  use 
a  no  other  writing  than  the  pure  Chinese  character, 
“  which  is  also  the  case  with  the  Japanese.  It  is  to  be 
“  hoped  therefore  that  the  British  nation  will  not  neg- 
“  lect  the  means  of  being  able  to  meet  the  French,  if  ne* 
“  cessary,  even  on  this  ground.!! 

§  Daring  tlie  short  interval  of  the  last  peace,  this  expedition 
was  talked  of  publickly  at  the  Mauritius  ;  and  mentioned  to  the 
English  there  as  a  project  of  France,  to  which  the  British  govern¬ 
ment  could  not  possibly  have  an  objection. 

H  Barrow’s  Travels  in  China,  page  615. 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST \ 

WITH  THREE  NEW 

SERMONS, 

PREACHED  ON  VARIOUS  OCCASIONS, 

BY 


THE  REV.  CLAUDIUS  BUCHANAN,  L.  L.  D 


m 


SERMON  I, 


MATTHEW  II.  2. 

«  For  we  have  seen  his  Star  in  the  East,  and  are  come  to 

worship,  him.” 

WHEN,  in  the  fulness  of  time,  the  Son  of  Gocl  came 
down  from  heaven  to  take  our  nature  upon  him,  many 
circumstances  concurred  to  celebrate  the  event,  and  to 
render  it  an  illustrious  epoch  in  the  history  of  the 
world.  It  pleased  the  Divine  Wisdom  that  the  mani¬ 
festation  of  the  Deity  should  be  distinguished  by  a  suit¬ 
able  glory:  and  this  was  done,  by  the  ministry  of  An¬ 
gels,  by  the  ministry  of  men,  and  by  the  ministry  of  Na¬ 
ture  herself. 

First,  This  was  done  by  the  ministry  of  Angels  ;  for  an 
Angel  announced  to  the  shepherds  “  the  glad  tidings  of 
“  great  joy  which  should  be  to  all  people and  a 
u  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host  sang  Glory  to  God 

in  the  Highest,  on  earth  peace,  good-will  toward 
“  men.” 

Secondly,  It  was  done  by  the  ministry  of  Men  ;  for 
illustrious  persons,  divinely  directed,  came  from  a  far 
country,  to  offer  gifts,  and  to  do  honor  to  the  new-born 
King.. 

Thirdly,  It  was  done  by  the  ministry  of  JVature. 
Nature  herself  was  commanded  to  bear  witness  to  the 
presence  of  the  God  of  Nature.  A  Star  or  Divine 
Light,  pointed  out  significantly  from  heaven  the  spot 
upon  earth  where  the  Saviour  was  born. 

Thus,  I  say,  it  pleased  the  Divine  Wisdom,  by  an  as¬ 
semblage  of  heavenly  testimonies,  to  glorify  the  incarna¬ 
tion  of  the  Son  of  God. 

All  these  testimonies  were  appropriate  ;  but  the  Jour¬ 
ney  of  the  Eastern  Sages  had  in  it  a  peculiar  fitness. 


2S0 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


We  can  hardly  imagine  amove  natural  mode  of  honour- 
ing  the  event  than  this,  that  illustrious  persons  should 
proceed  from  a  far  country  to  visit  the  child  which  was 
born  Saviour  of  the  world.  They  came,  as  it  were,  in 
the  name  of  the  Gentiles,  to  acknowledge  the  heavenly 
gift,  and  to  bear  their  testimony  against  that  nation 
which  rejected  it.  They  came  as  the  representatives  of 
the  whole  heathen  world  ;  not  only  of  the  heathens  in 
the  East,  but  also  of  the  heathens  in  the  West,  from 
w  hom  we  are  descended.  In  the  name  of  the  whole 
world,  lying  “in  darkness,  and  in  the  shadow  of  death,” 
they  came  inquiring  for  that  Eight  which,  they  had  heard, 
Avas  to  visit  them  in  the  fulness  of  time.  “  And  the  Star 
“  which  they  saw  in  the  East  went  before  them,  till  it 
“  came  and  stood  over  where  the  young  child  was. 
“  And  when  they  were  come  into  the  house,  they  fell 
“  down  and  worshipped  him  ;  and  when  they  had  opened 
“  their  treasures,  they  presented  unto  him  gifts,  gold, 
“  and  frankincense,  and  myrrh  ;”  and  they  departed  into 
their  own  country. 

Do  you  ask  how  the  Star  of  Christ  was  understood  in 
the  East  ?  Or  why  providence  ordained  that  peculiar 
inode  of  intimation  ? 

Christ  was  foretold  in  old  prophecy,  under  the  name 
of  the  “  Star  that  should  arise  out  of  Jacob and  the 
rise  of  the  Star  in  Jacob  was  notified  to  the  world,  by 
the  appearance  of  an  actual  star. 

We  learn  from  authentic  Roman  history,  that  there 
prevailed  “  in  the  East”  a  constant  expectation  of  a 
Prince,  who  should  arise  out  of  Judea,  and  rule  the 
world.  That  such  an  expectation  did  exist,  has  been 
confirmed  by  the  ancient  writings  of  India.  Whence, 
then,  arose  this  extraordinary  expectation,  for  it  was 
found  also  in  the  Sybilline  books  of  Rome  ? 

The  Jewish  expectation  of  the  Messiah  had  pervaded 
the  East  iong  before  the  period  of  his  appearance.  The 
Jews  are  called  by  their  own  prophet  the  “  Expecting 
people*,”  (as  it  may  be  translated,  and  as  some  of  the 
Jews  of  the  East  translate  it,)  the  “  people  looking  for 
“  and  expecting  One  to  come.”  Wherever,  then,  the 

Is.  xviii.  2.  “  The  people  meted  out,”  in  our  translation. 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


281 


gen  tribes  were  carried  throughout  the  East,  they  car¬ 
ried  with  them  their  expectation.  And  they  carried 
also  the  prophecies  on  which  their  expectation  was 
founded.  Now  one  of  the  clearest  of  these  prophecies 
runs  in  these  words  :  “  There  shall  come  a  Star  out  of 
Jacob.”  And  as  in  the  whole  dispensation  concerning 
the  Messiah,  there  is  a  wonderful  fitness  between  the 
words  of  prophecy  and  the  person  spoken  of,  so  it 
pleased  the  Divine  Wisdom  that  the  rise  of  the  Star  in 
Jacob  should  be  announced  to  the  world  by  the  appear¬ 
ance  of  an  actual  Star,  (for  by  what  other  means  could 
the  great  event  be  more  significantly  communicated  to 
the  remote  parts  of  the  earth  ?)  and  this  actual  Star, 
in  itself  a  proper  emblem  of  that  “  Light  which  was  to 
“  lighten  the  Gentiles,”  conducted  them  to  Him  who- 
was  called  in  a  figure  the  Star  of  Jacob,  and  the  “  glory 
“  of  his  people  Israel ;”  and  wrho  hath  said  of  himself, 
(Rev.  xxii.  16,)  “  I,  Jesus,  am  the  bright  and  morning 
“  Star.”f 

But  again,  why  was  the  East  thus  honoured  ?  Why 
was  the  East,  and  not  the  West,  the  scene  of  these 
transactions  ?  The  East  was  the  scene  of  the  first  reve¬ 
lation  of  God.  The  fountains  of  inspiration  were  first 
opened  in  the  East.  And,  after  the  flood,  the  first  family 
of  the  new  world  was  planted  in  the  East ;  I  mean  the  East 
in  relation  to  Judea.  Besides,  millions  of  the  hum  an  race 
inhahit  that  portion  of  the  globe.  The  chief  population 
of  the  world  is  in  these  regions.  And  in  the  middle  of 
them  the  Star  of  Christ  first  appeared.  And,  led  by  it, 
the  wise  men  passed  through  many  nations,  tongues,  and 
kindreds,  before  they  arrived  at  Judea  in  the  West; bear¬ 
ing  tidings  to  the  world  that  the  Light  was  come,  that 
the  “  Desire  of  all  Nations”  was  come.  Even  to  Jeru¬ 
salem  herself  they  brought  the  first  intimation  that  her 
long-expected  Messiah  was  come. 

Now,  my  brethren,  as  the  East  was  honoured  in  the 
first  age,  in  thus  pointing  out  the  Messiah  to  the  world  - 
so  now  again,  after  a  long  interval  of  darkness,  it  is 
bearing  witness  to  the  truth  of  his  religion  ;  not  indeed 

t  The  Jews  used  to  speak  of  their  Messiah  under  the  appella¬ 
tion  of  Bar  Cocab ,  or  “the  Son  of  the  Star;”  and  false  Christs- ac.; 
tu?.lly  assumed  that  name. 

z  2 


282 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST, 


by  the  shining  of  a  Star,  but  by  affording  luminous  evi¬ 
dence  of  the  divine  origin  of  the  Christian  Faith.  It 
affords  evidence,  not  only  of  the  general  truth  of  its  his¬ 
tory ,  but  of  its  peculiar  doctrines  ;  and  not  of  its  doc¬ 
trines  merely,  but  of  the  divine  power  of  these  doc¬ 
trines  in  convincing  the  understandings  and  converting 
the  hearts  of  men.  And  in  this  sense  it  is,  that  “  we 
have  seen  “  his  Star  in  the  East,  and  are  come  to  wor¬ 
ship  him.” 

And  when  these  evidences  shall  have  been  laid  before 
you,  you  will  see  that  the  Time  is  come  for  diffusing 
His  religion  throughout  the  world ;  you  will  “  offer 
gifts”  in  His  name  for  the  promotion  of  the  work  ;  and 
you  will  offer  up  prayers  in  its  behalf,  “  that  God  would 
“  be  pleased  to  make  his  ways  known,  his  saving  health 
“  unto  all  nations.” 

In  this  discourse,  we  propose  to  lay  before  you, 

1st.  Evidences  of  the  general  truth  of  the  Christian 
Religion,  existing  in  the  East. 

2d!y.  Evidences  of  the  divine  power  of  that  Religion 
exemplified  in  the  East. 

I.  The  general  truth  of  the  Christian  Religion  is  il¬ 
lustrated  by  certain  evidences  in  the  East.  Of  these 
we  shall  mention  the  following. 

1.  Ancient  writings  of  India,  containing  particulars  of 
the  history  of  Christ. 

2.  Certain  doctrines  of  the  East,  shadowing  forth  the 
peculiar  doctrines  of  Christianity,  and  manifestly  deri¬ 
ved  from  a  common  origin. 

3.  The  state  of  the  Jews  in  the  East,  confirming  the 
truth  of  ancient  prophecy. 

4.  The  state  of  the  Syrian  Christians  in  the  East, 
subsisting  for  many  ages,  a  separate  and  distinct  people 
in  the  midst  of  the  heathen  world. 

These  subjects,  however,  wre  must  notice  very 
briefly. 

1 .  Hindoo  history  illustrates  the  history  of  the  gospel. 
There  have  lately  been  discovered  in  India,  certain 
Shanscrit  waitings  containing  Testimonies  of  Christ. 
They  relate  to  a  Prince  who  reigned  about  the  period  of 
the  Christian  aera;  and  whose  history,  though  mixed 
with  fable,  contains  particulars  which  correspond,  in  a 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


283 


surprising  manner,  with  the  advent,  birth,  miracles, 
death,  and  resurrection  of  our  Saviour.  The  event 
mentioned  in  the  words  of  the  Text  is  exactly  recorded, 
namely,  That  certain  holy  men,  directed  by  a  Star,  jour¬ 
neyed  toward  the  West,  where  they  beheld  the  incarna¬ 
tion  of  the  Deity.* ** 

These  important  records  have  been  translated  by  a 
learned  Orientalist! ,  and  he  has  deposited  the  originals 
among  the  archieves  of  the  Asiatic  Society.  From 
these,  and  from  other  documents,  he  has  compiled  a 
work,  entitled,  “  The  History  of  the  introduction  of  the 
Cnristian  Religion  into  India;  its  progress  and  decline 
and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  work  he  thus  expresses 
himself :  u  I  have  written  this  account  of  Christianity 
“  in  India  with  the  impartiality  of  an  Historian ;  fully 
“  persuaded  that  our  holy  Religion  cannot  receive  any 
“  additional  lustre  from  it.” 

Thus  far  of  the  history  of  the  Gospel. 

2.  We  are  now  to  notice  certain  doctrines  of  the 
East,  shadowing  forth  the  doctrines  of  Christianity. 

The  peculiar  doctrines  of  the  Christian  Religion  are 
so  strongly  represented  in  certain  systems  of  the  East, 
that  we  cannot  doubt  the  source  whence  they  have  been 
derived.  We  find  in  them  the  doctrines  of  the  Trinity, 
of  the  incarnation  of  the  Deity,  of  the  Atonement  for 
sin,  and  of  the  inlluence  of  the  Divine  Spirit. 

First,  The  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  The  Hindoos  be¬ 
lieve  in  one  God  Brahma,  the  creator  of  all  things  :  and 
yet  they  represent  him  as  subsisting  in  three  persons  ; 
and  they  worship  one  or  other  of  these  persons  through¬ 
out  every  part  of  India.  And  what  proves  that  they 
hold  this  doctrine  distinctly,  is,  that  their  most  ancient 
representation  of  the  Deity  is  formed  of  one  body 
and  three  faces.  Nor  are  these  representations  con¬ 
fined  to  India  alone  ;  but  they  are  to  be  found  in  other 
parts  of  the  East. 

Whence,  then,  my  brethren,  has  been  derived  this 

*  This  testimony  of  the  Hindoo  writer  accords  with  that  of  C'hnI. 
eiilins,  the  ancient  commentator  on  l’lato,  who  adds,  “  That  the 
“  in  fan’  Majesty  being  found,  the  wise  men  worshipped,  and  gave 

**  gifts  suitable  to  so  great  a  Cod.” 

t  Mr.  Wilford. 


284 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


idea  of  a  triune  God  ?  If,  as  some  alledge,  the  doctrine 
of  the  Trinity  among  Christians  be  of  recent  origin, 
whence  have  the  Hindoos  derived  it  ?  When  you  shall 
have  read  all  the  volumes  of  Philosophy  on  the  subject, 
you  will  not  have  obtained  a  satisfactory  answer  to  this 
question. 

Secondly,  The  doctrine  of  the  Incarnation  of  the 
Deity.  The  Hindoos  believe  that  one  of  the  persons 
in  their  Trinity,  and  that,  too,  the  second  person,)  was 
“  manifested  in  the  flesh.”  Hence  their  fables  of  the  in¬ 
carnations  of  Vishnoo,  of  which  you  may  have  heard. 
And  this  doctrine  of  the  incarnation  of  the  Deity,  is 
found  over  almost  the  whole  of  Asia. 

Whence,  then,  originated  this  idea,  that  “  God  should 
“  become  man,  and  take  our  nature  upon  him  ?”  The 
Hindoos  do  not  consider  that  it  was  an  Angel  merely 
that  became  man,  but  God  himself.  The  incarnation 
of  God  is  a  frequent  theme  of  their  discourse.  We 
cannot  doubt  whence  this  peculiar  tenet  of  religion  has 
been  derived.  We  must  believe  that  all  the  fabulous 
incarnations  of  the  Eastern  Mythology  are  derived  from 
the  veal  incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God,  or  from  the 
prophecies  which  went  before  it. 

Thirdly,  The  doctrine  of  Atonement  for  Sin,  by  the 
shedding  of  blood.  To  this  day  in  Hindostan,  the  peo¬ 
ple  bring  the  Goat  or  Kid  to  the  Temple  ;  and  the  Priest 
sheds  the  blood  of  the  innocent  victim.  Nor  is  this 
peculiar  to  Hindostan.  Throughout  the  whole  East, 
the  doctrine  of  a  sacrifice  for  sin  seems  to  exist  in  one 
form  or  other. 

Plow  is  it  then,  that  some  of  you  in  this  country  say 
that  there  is  no  atonement !  For,  ever  since  “  Abel  of- 
«  fered  unto  God  a  more  excellent  sacrifice  than  Cain 
ever  since  Noah,  the  father  of  the  new  world,  “offered 
“  burnt-offerings  on  the  Altar,”  sacrifices  have  been  of¬ 
fered  up  in  almost  every  nation  ;  as  if  for  a  constant 
memorial  before  the  world,  that  “  without  shedding  of 
“  blood  there  is  no  remission  of  sin.” 

Fourthly,  The  doctrine  of  the  influence  of  the  Sfiirit 
of  God.  In  the  most  ancient  writings  of  the  Hindoos, 
some  of  which  have  been  lately  published,  it  is  asserted 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


285 


that  the  “  divine  spirit,  or  light  of  holy  knowledge,”  in¬ 
fluences  the  minds  of  men.  And  the  man  who  is  the 
subjectof  such  influence  is  called  the  “man  twice  born.” 
Many  chapters  are  devoted  to  the  duties,  character,  and 
virtues  of  “  the  man  twice  born.” 

If,  then,  in  the  very  systems  of  the  heathen  world, 
this  exalted  idea  should  have  a  place,  how  much  more 
might  we  expect  to  find  it  in  the  revelation  of  the  true 
God  ! 

We  could  illustrate  other  doctrines  by  similar  anal¬ 
ogies,  did  time  permit.  If  these  analogies  were  mere¬ 
ly  partial  or  accidential,  they  would  be  less  important. 
But  they  are  not  casual ;  as  every  man  who  is  versed  in 
the  Holy  Scriptures  and  in  Oriental  Mythology  well 
knows.  They  are  general  and  systematic.  Was  it 
ever  alleged  that  the  Light  of  Nature  could  teach  such 
doctrines  as  these  ?  They  are  all  contrarij  to  the  Light 
of  Nature. 

These,  my  brethren,  gre  doctrines  which  exist  at  this 
day,  in  the  midst  of  the  idolatry  and  moral  corruption  of 
the  heathen  world.  Every  where  there  appears  to  be  a 
counterfeit  of  the  true  doctrine.  The  inhabitants  have 
lost  sight  of  the  only  true  God,  and  they  apply  these 
doctrines  to  their  false  gods.  For  these  doctrines  are 
relics  of  the  first  Faith  of  the  earth.  They  are,  as  you 
see,  the  strong  characters  of  God’s  primary  revelation 
to  man,  which  neither  the  power  of  man,  nor  time  it¬ 
self,  hath  been  able  to  destroy  ;  but  which  have  en¬ 
dured  from  age  to  age,  like  the  works  of  nature,  the 
moon  and  stars,  which  God  hath  created  incorruptible. 

3.  Another  circumstance,  illustrating  the  truth  of  the 
Christian  religion  in  the  East,  is  the  state  of  the  Jews. 
The  Jews  are  scattered  over  the  whole  face  of  the  East, 
and  the  fulfilment  of  the  prophecies  concerning  them  is 
far  more  evident  in  these  regions  than  it  is  here  among 
Christian  nations. 

The  last  great  punishment  of  the  Jewish  people  was 
inflicted  for  their  last  great  crime — their  shedding  the 
blood  of  the  Son  of  God  1  And  this  instance  of  divine  in¬ 
dignation  has  been  exhibited  to  all  nations,  and  all  na¬ 
tions  seem  to  have  been  employed  by  the  ordinance  of 
God  in  inflicting  the  punishment. 


235 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


By  express  prophecy  the  Jews  were  sentenced  to  be¬ 
come  “  the  scorn  and  reproach  of  all  people  and  “  a 
proverb  and  by-word  among  all  nations.”  Now,  that 
their  stubborn  unbelief  should  be  a  reproach  to  them 
among  Christian  nations  here  in  the  West,  is  not  so 
strange  ;  that  they  should  be  a  proverb  and  by-word 
among  those  who  had  heard  the  prophecy  concerning 
them,  is  net  so  remarkable.  But  to  have  seen  them  (as 
I  have  seen  them)  insulted  and  persecuted  by  the  ig¬ 
norant  nations  in  the  East ;  in  the  very  words  of  proph¬ 
ecy,  “  trodden  down  of  the  heathen  trodden  down  by 
a  people  who  never  heard  the  name  of  Christ:  who 
never  heard  that  the  Jews  had  rejected  Christ ;  and  who, 
in  fact,  punished  the  Jews ,  without  knowing  their  caime  : 
this,  I  say,  hath  appeared  to  me  an  awful  completion  of 
the  divine  sentence. 

4.  Another  monument  of  the  Christian  religion  in  the 
East,  is  the  state  of  the  Syrian  Christians ,  subsisting  for 
many  ages  a  separate  and  distant  people,  in  the  midst  of 
the  corruption  and  idolatry  of  the  heathen  world.  They 
exist  in  the  very  midst  of  India,  like  the  bush  of  Moses, 
burning  and  not  consumed  ;  surrounded  by  the  enemies 
of  their  faith,  and  subject  to  their  power,  and  yet  not  de¬ 
stroyed.  There  they  exist,  having  the  pure  word  of 
Godin  their  hands,  and  speaking  in  their  churches  that 
same  language  which  our  Saviour  himself  spake  in  the 
streets  of  Jerusalem. 

We  may  contemplate  the  history  of  this  people  ex¬ 
isting  so  long  in  that  dark  region,  as  a  type  of  the  inex¬ 
tinguishable  Light  of  Christ’s  religion  :  and  in  this 
sense  it  may  be  truly  said,  “We  have  seen  his  Star  in 
the  East.” 

The  probable  design  of  the  Divine  Providence,  in  pre¬ 
serving  this  people,  appears  to  be  this  :  That  they 
should  be  a  seed  of  the  Church  in  Asia :  that  they 
should  be  a  special  instrument  for  the  conversion  of 
the  surrounding  heathen,  when  God’s  appointed  time 
is  come  ;  a  people  prepared  for  his  service,  as  fellow- 
labourers  with  us ;  a  people,  in  short,  in  the  midst  of 
Asia,  to  whom  we  can  point  as  an  evidence  to  the  rest, 
of  the  truth  and  antiquity  of  the  Christian  Faith. 

And  this  shall  suffice  as  to  the  testimonies  of  the  gen¬ 
eral  truth  of  Christianity  existing  in  the  East. 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


28  7 


II.  We  proposed,  in  the  second  branch  of  the  dis¬ 
course,  to  lay  before  you  some  evidences  of  the  divine 
power  of  the  Christian  Religion  exemplified  in  the 
East. 

To  say  that  Christianity  has  been  propagated  in  the 
East,  as  other  religions  have  been  propagated,  is  to  say 
nothing.  It  is  little  to  say  that  thousands  have  adopted 
the  name ,  and  that  it  pervades  populous  provinces.  For 
three  centuries  past,  the  Romish  Church  has  diffused 
the  name  of  Christianity  throughout  the  East ;  and  this 
success  demonstrates  how  practicable  it  is  to  “  propa¬ 
gate  our  religion,”  in  the  common  sense  of  that  expres¬ 
sion,)  throughout  all  nations  of  the  world.  Providence 
seems  to  have  ordained  this  previous  labour  of  the 
Romish  Church,  to  facilitate  the  preaching  of  the  true 
Gospel  at  the  appointed  time  ;  for  Christianity  is  found 
even  in  its  worst  form  to  possess  amoral  and  civilizing 
efficiency. 

But  it  is  in  the  East,  as  it  is  in  the  West — all  are  not 
Christians  who  are  called  Christians.  “  He  is  not  a 
u  Christian,  who  is  one  outwardly  ;  neither  is  that  bap- 
il  tism  which  is  outward  in  the  flesh.”  The  fact  was, 
the  Romish  Church  preached  Christianity  in  the  East, 
without  the  Bible. 

Let  us  now  inquire  what  has  been  the  consequence 
of  sending  the  Bible  to  the  East.  It  is  nearly  one  hun¬ 
dred  years  since  the  Bible  was  sent  to  the  Hindoos ; 
but  not  by  our  country.  This  honor  was  given  to  the 
Protestant  churches  of  Denmark  and  Germany.  It 
was  sent  to  a  certain  nation  in  the  South  of  India  ;  for 
there  are  many  nations  in  Hindostan.  What  then  was 
the  effect  of  giving  them  the  Bible  ?  It  was  the  same 
as  that  which  followed  the  giving  the  Bible  to  us,  while 
we  lay  in  almost  Hindoo  darkness,  buried  in  the  igno¬ 
rance  and  superstition  of  the  church  of  Rome.  It  gave 
light  and  knowledge  ;  God  blessed  his  own  word  to  the 
conversion  of  the  heart,  and  men  began  to  worship 
him  in  sincerity  and  truth. 

That  province  in  India,  which  was  blessed  with  the 
Bible,  hath  since  “  seen  a  great  Light.”  During  near¬ 
ly  the  whole  of  the  last  century,  multitudes  of  Hindoos 
(both  heathens  and  Roman  Catholics)  became  members 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


288 

of  the  Protestant  Church,  one  generation  after  an¬ 
other;  and  amongst  them  there  has  ever  been  found, 
according  to  the  records  of  the  Mission,*  such  a  pro¬ 
portion  of  serious  piety,  as  you  might  expect  to  find, 
when  the  Gospel  is  preached  with  faithfulness  and  zeal. 

During  the  whole  of  the  last  century,  Providence 
favored  them  with  a  succession  of  holy  and  learned 
men,  educated  at  the  Universities  of  Germany  :  among 
whom  was  the  venerable  Swartz,  called  the  Apostle 
of  the  East ;  and  others  not  much  inferior  to  him  ;  men 
whose  names  are  scarcely  known  in  this  country,  but 
who  are  as  famous  among  the  Hindoos,  as  Wickliflfe 
and  Luther  are  amongst  us.  The  ministry  of  these 
good  men  was  blessed  in  many  provinces  in  the  South 
of  India,  and  the  bounds  of  their  churches  are  extend¬ 
ing  unto  this  day.  The  language  of  the  country  is  cal¬ 
led  the  Tamul  ;  and  the  first  translation  of  the  Bible 
in  that  language,  was  made,  as  we  said,  about  a  hun¬ 
dred  years  ago.  Like  Wickliffe’s  Bible  with  us,  it  be¬ 
came  the  father  many  versions,  and,  after  a  succes¬ 
sion  of  improved  editions,  it  is  now  considered  by  the 
Brahmins  themselves  (iike  Luther’s  Bible  in  German) 
as  the  classical  standard  of  the  Tamul  tongue. 

A  Jubilee  has  latelvbeen  celebrated  in  India,  in  hon¬ 
our  of  the  Gospel.  In  the  month  of  July,  1806,  a  Ju¬ 
bilee  was  observed  by  these  Hindoo  churches,  in  com¬ 
memoration  of  the  arrival  of  the  two  first  Protestant 
Missionaries  on  the  9th  of  July,  1706.  The  year  1806, 
being  the  hundredth  year  (or  the  second  fiftieth)  since 
the  Gospel  first  visited  their  land,  was  to  them  “  the 
<c  year  of  Jubilee  ”  The  happy  occasion  had  been  long 
anticipated,  and  was  marked  with  demonstrations  of 
joy  and  gladness.  The  people,  as  we  were  informed, 
walked  in  procession  to  their  churches,  carrying  palms 
in  their  hands,  and  singing  the  98th  Psalm  ;  and,  after 
offering  up  praises  and  thanksgivings  to  the  Most  High, 
they  heard  a  sermon  suitable  to  the  day.  The  sermon 
at  the  Jubilee  of  Tritehinopoly  was  preached  by  their 
aged  Minister,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pohle,  from  these  words : 
“  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations  ;  baptizing 

*  These  records  are  published  in  upwards  of  30  vols.  thick  4to. 


THE  STAR  IX  THE  E .A  ST. 


289 

tl  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and 
u  of  the  Holy  Ghost.”* 

These  were  the  effects  of  sending  the  Bible  to  the 
East.  Men  were  “  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
“  truth  and  at  the  end  of  a  hundred  years,  the  na¬ 
tives  kept  the  Jubilee  of  the  Bible. 

Such,  my  brethren,  was  the  Light  in  the  South  of 
India.  And  now  a  Light  hath  sprung  up  in  the  North, 
of  which  you  have  heard.  Our  own  country  hath  be¬ 
gun,  though  late,  to  dispense  “  the  word  of  Life.” 
And  although  the  time  has  been  short,  the  success  has 
been  great.  In  the  North,  in  the  AVest,  and  in  Cey¬ 
lon,  translations  of  the  Scriptures  are  going  on  in  al¬ 
most  all  the  languages  of  Oriental  India. 

Our  own  country  hath  at  length  assumed  an  interest 
in  diffusing  the  Gospel.  “  In  the  fulness  of  time,”  we 
trust,  her  different  societies  have  come  forth,  as  with 
one  consent,  to  begin  the  work  of  evangelizing  the 
East.  “  In  the  fulness  of  time,”  we  trust,  hath  this 
country  begun,  by  these  instruments,  to  employ  her 
great  power,  and  her  enlightened  zeal,  in  extending 
the  knowledge  of  the  true  God  throughout  the  world. 

AA'e  ought  not  to  regret  that  the  work  is  carried  on 
by  Christians  of  different  denominations  ;  for  if  they 
teach  the  religion  of  the  Bible,  their  labour  will  be  bles¬ 
sed.  AVe  have  no  contentions  in  India,  like  those  in 
Britain,  between  Protestants  of  different  names.  There 
they  are  all  friends.  The  strife  there  is  between  light 
and  darkness  ;  between  the  true  God  and  an  idol.  "So 
liberal  and  catholic  is  the  Christian  in  Asia  (while  he 
looks  over  the  map  of  the  AVorld,  and  can  scarcely  find 
where  the  isle  of  Britain  lies)  that  he  considers  even  the 
term  “  Protestant,”  as  being  in  a  certain  degree  exclu¬ 
sive  or  sectarian.  .  “  The  religion  of  the  Bible,”  or  “  the 
“  religion  of  Christ,'5  is  the  name  by  which  he  would 
describe  his  creed.  For  when  the  idolater  once  abjures 
ms  own  cast  for  the  Gospel,  he  considers  the  differen¬ 
ces  of  Protestants,  (if  he  ever  hear  of  them)  as  being 
■very  insignificant.  Indeed  he  cannot  well  understand 

^ fOT  Pro^efc**” K"- 
A  a 


SO  0 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


them.  In  the  great  revolution  that  takes  place  in  his  mind 
(if  his  conversion  be  real)  he  cannot  contemplate  these 
•minute  objects.  We  ought  not  then,  I  say,  to  regret 
that  different  classes  of  Christians  are  employed  in  the 
work.  For  the  case  is  an  exact  parallel  of  that  record¬ 
ed  in  the  Gospel  (Mark  ix.  38  :)  “  And  John  answering 
“  said,  Master,  we  saw  one  casting  out  Devils  in  thy 
“  name,  and  he  followeth  not  us  ;  and  we  forbad  him, 
“  because  he  followeth  not  us.  But  Jesus  said,  “For- 

“  BID  HIM  NOT.” 

On  my  arrival  from  India,  a  few  months  ago,  I  learn¬ 
ed  that  a  controversy  had  engaged  the  attention  of  the 
public,  for  some  time,  on  the  question  of  sending  Mis¬ 
sions  to  the  East.  In  the  future  history  of  our  country  it 
will  scarcely  be  believed, that  in  the  present  age  an  attempt 
should  have  been  made  to  prevent  the  diffusion  of  the 
blessed  principles  of  the  Christian  religion.  It  will  not 
be  believed  that  an  attempt  should  have  been  made  to 
prove  by  argument,  that  it  was  wrong  to  make  known 
the  revelation  of  the  true  God  to  our  fellow-men  ;  or  if, 
in  some  instances,  it  might  be  permitted  (as  in  the  case 
of  remote  nations)  that  we  ought  not  to  instruct  that 
people  who  were  affirmed  to  be  the  most  superstitious, 
and  the  most  prejudiced;  and  who  were  our  own  sub¬ 
jects.  We  scarcely  believe  ourselves  that,  twenty  years 
ago,  an  attempt  was  made  to  defend  the  traffic  in  slaves , 
and  that  books  were  written  to  show  that  it  was  humane  in 
its  character, just  in  its  principle,  and  honourable  to  our 
nation.  The  discussion,  therefore,  thathas  taken  place  on 
the  civilization  of  the  East,  has  been  of  important  use. 
Men  in  general  were  not  informed.  The  scene  of  ac¬ 
tion  was  remote,  and  the  subject  was  new  in  almost  all 
its  relations.  Even  to  some  of  those  persons  who  had 
been  in  India,  the  subject  was  new.  Just  as  in  this 
country,  if  you  were  to  ask  certain  persons  whether  they 
had  any  acquaintance  with  the  religious  world,  they 
would  say  they  had  never  heard  there  was  such  a  world  ; 
so  some  from  India  hazarded  an  opinion  concerning  the 
“  inveterate  prejudices”  of  certain  tribes  in  the  East, 
who  scarcely  knew  the  geography  of  the  country  where 
they  lived  ;  what  their  religion  was,  or  whether  they  had 
any  religion  at  all.  They  had  seen  no  Star  in  the  East ; 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


29? 

they  had  heard  of  no  jubilee  for  the  Bible.  Like  the 
spies  of  Israel  who  brought  back  “  an  evil  report”  from 
Canaan,  they  reported  that  India  was  no  “  land  of  pro- 
«  mise”  for  the  Gospel ;  that  the  land  was  barren ,  and 
that  the  men  were  Anakims.  But  the  faithful  Swartz 
gave  another  testimony.  He  affirmed  that  it  is  “  ex¬ 
ceeding  good  land  and  “  his  record  is  true.”  He 
who  was  best  qualified  to  give  an  opinion  on  the  sub¬ 
ject,  who  preached  among  the  Hindoos  for  nearly  fifty 
years,  founded  churches  among  them  in  different  pro¬ 
vinces,  established  schools  for  their  children,  dissemi¬ 
nated  religious  tracts  in  their  own  tongue,  and  inti¬ 
mately  knew  their  language,  manners,  prejudices,  and 
superstitions  ;  he  who  restored  the  Christian  character 
to  respect,  after  it  had  fallen  into  contempt :  who  was 
selected  by  the  natives  as  an  arbiter  of  their  differences 
with  the  English,  and  whom  both  Hindoos  and  English 
loved  and  feared  in  his  life,  and  honoured  in  his  death  ;* ** 
this  good  man,  I  say,  differed  in  opinion  from  some, 
who  have  lately  ventured  to  give  a  judgment  in  this  mat- 

*  At  the  funeral  of  Mr.  Swartz,  the  Hindoo  Rajah  of  Tanjore 
came  to  do  honour  to  his  memory  in  the  presence  of  his  Bramini- 
cal  Court.  He  covered  the  body  -with  a  gold  cloth,  and  shed  a  flood  of 
tears  He  afterwards  composed  an  epitaph,  for  him  whom  he  cal¬ 
led  “  his  father  and  his  friend,”  and  caused  it  to  be  inscribed  on 
the  stone  which  covers  Swartz’s  grave,  in  one  of  the  Christian 
churches  of  Tanjore. 

The  English  also  have  pronounced  a  noble  and  affecting  enco¬ 
mium  on  the  character  of  this  estimable  Missionary. 

The  Honourable  the  East-India  Company  have  sent  out  to  Ma¬ 
dras  a  monument  of  marble  to  be  erected  in  the  Church  of  St.  Ma¬ 
ry  at  that  place,  to  the  memory  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Swartz,  inscribed 
with  a  suitable  epitaph  ;  and  they  announced  it,  in  their  general 
letter,  dated  the  29th  of  October,  1806,  “  As  a  testimony  of  the 
“  deep  sense  they  entertained  of  his  transcendent  merit,  of  his  un- 

wearied  labours  in  the  cause  of  religion  and  piety,  and  of  his 
“  public  services  at  Tanjore,  where  the  influence  of  his  name  and 
“  character  was,  for  a  long  course  of  years,  productive  of  impor- 

**  portant  benefits  to  the  Company.”  The  Honourable  court  fur¬ 
ther  adds.  “  On  no  subject  has  the  Court  of  Directors  been  more 
“  unanimous  than  in  their  anxious  desire  to  perpetuate  the  mem- 
4*  ory  of  this  eminent  person,  and  to  excite  in  others  an  emulation  of 
“  his  gi'eat  example .”  They  direct  finally,  “  that  translations  shall 
“  be  made  of  the  epitaph  into  the  country  languages,  and  publish- 

ed  at  Madras  ;  and  that  the  native  inhabitants  shall  be  encoura- 
“  ged  to  view  the  monument.” 


292 


THE  STAR  IJt  THE  EAST. 


ter  :  he  affirmed  that  it  was  England’s  Duty  to  make 
known  the  Revelation  of  the  true  God  to  her  Indian  sub¬ 
jects. 

In  the  mean  time,  while  men  hold  different  opinions 
on  the  subject  here,  the  great  work  goes  on  in  the 
East.  The  Christians  there  will  probably  never  hear  of 
our  dissentions ;  nor,  if  they  should  hear  of  them, 
would  they  be  much  interested  about  them.  And  on 
this  point  I  judge  it  right  to  notice  a  very  singular  mis¬ 
take  which  appears  to  have  existed  on  both  sides  of 
the  question.  It  seems  to  have  been  understood  that 
we  have  it  in  our  power  to  prevent  the  progressof  Chris¬ 
tianity  in  India,  if  we  wish  to  do  so  ;  if  such  a  meas¬ 
ure  should  be  recommended  by  what  is  called  “  a  wise 
C(  policy.”  But  we  have  no  power  to  prevent  the  ex¬ 
tension  of  the  Christian  religion  in  India.  We  have  it 
in  our  power,  indeed,  greatly  to  promote  it,  but  we 
have  no  power  to  destroy  it.  It  would  be  as  easy  to  ex¬ 
tinguish  Christianity  in  Great-Britain  as  in  India.  There 
are  thousands  of  Christians  in  India — hundreds  of  thou¬ 
sands  of  Christians.  And  while  we  are  contending 
here,  whether  it  be  a  proper  thing  to  convert  the  Hin¬ 
doos,  they  will  go  on  extending  the  bounds  of  their 
churches,  keeping  their  jubilees,  and  enjoying  the 
blessings  of  the  Gospel,  regardless  of  our  opinions  or 
authority. 

The  dispute  in  this  country,  relative  to  the  efficiency 
of  preaching  the  faith  of  Christ  to  the  heathen  world, 
is  not  unlike  the  dispute  of  the  Jewish  doctors  in  the 
gospel,  concerning  our  Saviour’s  power  “  to  forgive 
“  sins.”  We  read  that  our  Lord  had  healed  a  woman, 
who  was  a  sinner.  And  he  said  unto  her,  “  Daughter, 
<l  thy  sins  are  forgiven  ;  thy  faith  hath  saved  thee  ;  go 
“  in  peace.”  Then  began  the  Pharisees  to  say  within 
themselves,  “  Who  is  this  that  forgiveth  sins  also  ?” 
But  she  felt  in  herself  that  she  was  healed,  and  leaving 
the  doctors  to  dispute  whether  “  her  faith  could  save 
“  her  or  not,”  she  departed  in  peace  and  joy. 

So,  while  we  are  disputing  here,  whether  the  faith 
of  Christ  can  save  the  heathens,  the  Gospel  hath  gone 
forth  “  for  the  healing  of  the  nations.”  A  congrega¬ 
tion  of  Hindoos  will  assemble  on  the  morning  of  th« 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


293 


Sabbath,  under  the  shade  of  a  Banian  tree,  not  one  of 
whom,  perhaps,  ever  heard  of  Greatr  Britain  by  name. 
There  the  Holy  Bible  is  opened  ;  the  word  of  Christ 
is  preached  with  eloquence  and  zeal ;  the  affections 
are  excited  ;  the  voice  of  prayer  and  praise  is  lifted 
up  ;  and  he  who  hath  promised  his  presence  e<  when 
“  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  his  name,  is 
’**  there  in  the  midst  of  them  to  bless  them,  according 
“  to  his  word.”  These  scenes  I  myself  have  witnes¬ 
sed  ;  and  it  is  in  this  sense  in  particular  I  can  say, 
“  We  have  seen  his  Star  in  the  East,  and  are  come  to 
“  worship  him.” 

Thus  far  we  have  spoken  of  the  success  of  the  Gos¬ 
pel  in  Asia,  by  means  of  European  preachers.  But 
we  shall  now  exhibit  to  you  evidence  from  another 
source,  from  a  new  and  unexpected  quarter.  We  are 
now  to  declare  what  has  been  done,  independently  of 
our  exertions,  and  in  regions  where  we  have  no  labor¬ 
ers,  and  no  access.  And  this  I  do  to  show  you,  that 
whether  we  assist  in  the  work  or  not,  it  is  God’s  will 
that  it  should  begin.  You  have  hitherto  been  contem¬ 
plating  the  Light  in  India.  We  are  now  to  announce 
to  you,  that  a  Light  hath  appeared  in  Arabia,  and  dawn¬ 
ed  as  it  were,  on  the  Temple  of  Mecca  itself. 

Two  Mahometans  of  Arabia,  persons  of  consideration 
in  their  own  country,  have  been  lately  converted  to  the 
Christian  faith.  One  of  them  has  already  suffered  mar¬ 
tyrdom,  and  the  other  is  now  engaged  in  translating 
the  Scriptures,  and  in  concerting  plans  for  the  conver¬ 
sion  of  his  countrymen.  The  name  of  the  martyr  was 
Abdallah  ;  and  the  name  of  the  other,  who  is  now  trans¬ 
lating  the  Scriptures,  is  Sabat ;  or,  as  he  is  called  since 
his  Christian  baptism,  Nathaniel  Sabat.  Sabat  resided 
in  my  house  some  time  before  I  left  India,  and  I  had 
from  his  own  mouth  the  chief  part  of  the  account  which 
I  shall  now  give  to  you.  Some  particulars  I  had  from 
others.  His  conversion  took  place  after  the  martyr¬ 
dom  of  Abdallah,  “  to  whose  death  he  was  consent¬ 
ing  and  he  related  the  circumstances  to  me  with  ma¬ 
ny  tears. 

Abdallah  and  Sabat  were  intimate  friends,  and  being 
young  men  of  family  in  Arabia,  they  agreed  to  travel 


2  94 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


together,  and  to  visit  foreign  countries.  They  were 
both  zealous  Mahometans.  Sabat  is  son  of  Ibrahim  Sa- 
bat,  a  noble  family  of  the  line  of  Beni-Sabat,  who  trace 
their  pedigree  to  Mahomet.  The  two  friends  left  Ara¬ 
bia, after  paying  their  adorations  at  the  tomb  of  their  pro¬ 
phet  at  Mecca,  and  travelled  through  Persia, and  thence 
to  Cabul.  Abdallah  was  appointed  to  an  office  of  state 
under  Zcmaun  Shah,  King  of  Cabul  ;  and  Sabat  left  him 
there,  and  proceeded  on  a  tour  through  Tartary. 

While  Abdallah  remained  at  Cabul,  he  was  converted 
to  the  Christian  faith  by  the  perusal  of  a  (Bible,  as  is 
supposed,)  belonging  to  a  Christian  from  Armenia,  then 
residing  at  Cabul*.  In  the  Mahometan  states,  it  is 
death  for  a  man  of  rank  to  become  a  Christian.  Abdal¬ 
lah  endeavoured  for  a  time  to  conceal  his  conversion, 
but  finding  it  no  longer  possible,  he  determined  to  flee 
to  some  of  the  Christian  churches  near  the  Caspian 
Sea.  He  accordingly  left  Cabul  in  disguise,  and  had 
gained  the  great  city  ofBochara,  in  Tartary,  when  he 
was  met  in  the  streets  of  that  city  by  his  friend  Sabat, 
who  immediately  recognized  him.  Sabat  had  heard  of 
his  conversion  and  flight,  and  was  filled  with  indigna¬ 
tion  at  his  conduct.  Abdallah  knew  his  danger,  and 
threw  himself  at  the  feet  of  Sabat.  He  confessed  that 
he  was  a  Christian,  and  implored  him,  by  the  sacred  tie 
of  their  former  friendship,  to  let  him  escape  with  his 
life.  “  But,  Sir,”  said  Sabat,  when  relating  the  story 
himself,  u  I  had  no  pity.  I  caused  my  servants  to 
“  seize  him,  and  I  delivered  him  up  to  Morad  Shah, 
“  King  of  Bochava.  Pie  was  sentenced  to  die,  and  a 
«  herald  went  through  the  city  of  Bochara,  announcing 
“  the  time  of  his  execution.  An  immense  multitude 

attended,  and  the  chief  men  of  the  city.  I  also  went 
“  and  stood  near  to  Abdallah.  He  was  offered  his  life, 
“  if  he  would  abjure  Christ,  the  executioner  standing 
u  by  him  with  his  sword  in  his  hand.  No,’  said  he,  (as 
“  if  the  proposition  were  impossible  to  be  complied 
“  with)  ‘  I  cannot  abjure  Christ.*  Then  one  of  his  hands 
((  was  cut  oft' at  the  wrist.  He  stood  firm,  his  arm  hang- 

*  The  Armenian  Christians  in  Fersia  have  among  them  a  few 
•opies  of  the  Arable  flible. 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


295 


(i  ing  by  his  side  with  but  little  motion.  A  physician, 
«  by  desire  of  the  king  offered  to  heal  the  wound,  if  he 
«  would  recant.  He  made  no  answer,  but  looked  up 
«  stedfastly  towards  heaven,  like  Stephen  the  first  mar- 
«  tyr,  his  eyes  streaming  with  tears.  He  dill  not  look 
«  with  anger  towards  me.  He  looked  at  me,  but  it  was 
«  benignly,  and  with  the  countenance  of  forgiveness. 
“  His  other  hand  was  then  cut  off.  “  But,  Sir,”  said 
Sabat,  in  his  imperfect  English,  “  he  never  changed, 
“he  never  changed.  And  when  he  bowed  his  head  to 
“  receive  the  blow  of  death,  ail  Bochara  seemed  to  say, 
“  ‘  What  new  thing  is  this  V  ” 

Sabat  had  indulged  the  hope  that  Abdallah  would 
have  recanted  when  he  was  offered  his  life  ;  but  when 
he  saw  that  his  friend  was  dead,  he  resigned  himself 
to  grief  and  remorse.  He  travelled  from  place  to  place, 
seeking  rest,  and  finding  none.  At  last  he  thought  that 
he  would  visit  India.  He  accordingly  came  to  Madras 
about  five  years  ago.  Soon  after  his  arrival,  he  was 
appointed  by  the  English  government  a  Mufti,  or  ex¬ 
pounder  of  Mahometan  law ;  his  great  learning,  and 
respectable  station  in  his  own  country,  rendering  him 
eminently  qualified  for  that  office.  And  now  the  period 
of  his  own  conversion  drew  near.  While  he  was  at 
Visagapatam,  in  the  Northern  Circars,  exercising  his 
professional  duties,  Providence  brought  in  his  way  a 
New  Testament  in  Arabic.*  lie  read  it  with  deep 
thought,  the  Koran  lying  before  him.  He  compared 
them  together,  and  at  length  the  truth  of  the  word  of 
God  fell  on  his  mind,  as  he  expressed  it,  like  a  flood 
of  light.  Soon  afterwards  he  proceeded  to  Madras,  a 
journey  of  300  miles,  to  seek  Christian  baptism  ;  and 
having  made  a  public  confession  of  his  faith,  he  was 
baptized  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Kerr,  in  the  English  Church 
at  that  place,  by  the  name  of  Nathaniel,  in  the  twenty- 
seventh  year  of  his  age. 

Being  notv  desirous  to  devote  his  future  life  to  the 
glory  of  God,  he  resigned  his  secular  employ,  and 
came  by  invitation  to  Bengal,  where  he  is  now  engaged 
in  translating  the  Scriptures  into  the  Persian  language. 

*  One  of  those  copies  sent  to  India  by  the  “  Society  for  Pronto* 
°  ting  Christian  Knowledge.” 


296 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


This  work  hath  not  hitherto  been  executed,  for  want  of 
a  translator  of  sufficient  ability.  The  Persian  is  an  im¬ 
portant  language  in  the  East,  being  the  general  lan¬ 
guage  of  Western  Asia,  particularly  among  the  higher 
classes,  and  is  understood  from  Calcutta  to  Damascus. 
But  the  great  work  which  occupies  the  attention  of  this 
noble  Arabian,  is  the  promulgation  of  the  Gospel 
among  his  own  countrymen  ;  and  from  the  present  fluc¬ 
tuations  of  religious  opinion  in  Arabia,  he  is  sanguine 
in  his  hopes  of  success.  His  first  work  is  entitled, 
(Neama  Besharatin  lil  Arabi,)  “  Hapfvy  News  for  Ara¬ 
bia  written  in  the  Nabutte,  or  common  dialect  of  the 
country.  It  contains  an  eloquent  and  argumentative 
elucidation  of  the  truth  of  the  Gospel,  with  copious  au¬ 
thorities  admitted  by  the  Mahometans  themselves,  and 
particularly  by  the  Wahabians.  And  prefixed  to  it,  is 
an  account  of  the  conversion  of  the  author,  and  an  ap¬ 
peal  to  the  members  of  his  well-known  family  in  Arabia, 
for  the  truth  of  the  facts*. 

The  following  circumstance  in  the  history  of  Sabat 
ought  not  to  have  been  omitted.  When  his  family  in 
Arabia  had  heard  that  he  had  followed  the  example  of 
Abdallah,  and  become  a  Christian,  they  dispatched  his 
brother  to  India,  (a  voyage  of  two  months,)  to  assassi¬ 
nate  him.  While  Sabat  was  sitting  in  his  house  at  Vis- 
agapatam,  his  brother  presented  himself  in  the  dis¬ 
guise  of  a  Faqueer,  or  beggar,  having  a  dagger  con¬ 
cealed  under  his  mantle.  He  rushed  on  Sabat  and 

*  Sabat  is  now  at  Dinapore,  in  Bengal,  with  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Martyn,  Peliow  of  St.  John’s  College,  Cambridge,  Chaplain  to 
the  East-India  Company,  who  is  well  qualified,  by  his  knowledge 
of  the  Arabic  and  Persian  languages,  to  superintend  his  labors. 
Mirza  Fitrut,  another  celebrated  Persian  scholar,  who  visited 
England  some  years  ago,  is  engaged  as  the  coadjutor  of  Sabat 
in  his  translation.  Mr.  Martyn  himself  is  translating  the  Scrip¬ 
tures  into  the  Hindostanee  language.  Sabat,  soon  after  his  arri¬ 
val  in  Bengal,  visited  the  Baptist  Missionaries  at  Serampore,  and 
remained  there  for  two  months  and  a  half,  that  is,  from  August 
to  October,  1807.  Ever  since  tiiat  period  he  has  been  at  Dina¬ 
pore.  Mr.  Martyn,  in  his  latest  letters,  speaks  of  his  friend  Sa¬ 
bat  in  terms  of  affection  and  admiration.  Sabat  accounted  him¬ 
self,  at  onetime,  the  best  mathematician  and  logician  in  Arabia. 
Mr.  Martyn  was  senior  Wrangler  in  mathematics  at  Cambridge, 
in  the  year  1801. 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


297 


■wounded  him.  But  Sabat  seized  his  arm,  and  his  ser¬ 
vants  came  to  his  assistance.  He  then  recognized  his 
brother.  The  assassin  would  have  become  the  victim 
of  public  justice,  but  Sabat  interceded  for  his  brother, 
and  sent  him  home  in  peace,  with  letters  and  presents 
to  his  mother’s  house  in  Arabia. 

And  these,  my  brethren,  arc  the  instances  I  wished 
to  lay  before  you,  of  the  divine  power  of  the  Christian 
religion  recently  exemplified  in  the  East.  The  con¬ 
versions  of  Abdallah  and  Sabat  seem  to  have  been  as 
evidently  produced  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  as  any  con¬ 
version  in  the  primitive  church.  Other  instances  have 
occured  in  Arabia  of  a  similar  kind,  and  on  the  very 
borders  of  Palestine  itself.  These  are  like  the  solita¬ 
ry  notices  which  in  other  nations,  have  announced  the 
approach  of  general  illumination.  John  Huss,  and 
Jerome  of  Prague,  were  not,  perhaps,  more  talked  of 
in  Europe,  than  Abdallah  and  Sabat  are  at  this  day, 
in  Bochara  and  Arabia. 

What  conclusion,  then,  shall  we  draw  from  these 
facts  ?  It  is  this  :  that  the  time  for  diffusing  our  reli¬ 
gion  in  the  East  is  come.  We  shall  notice  some  other 
particulars  which  encourage  us  to  think  that  the  time 
is  come. 

1.  The  minds  of  good  men  seem  every  where  to  be 
impressed  with  the  duty  of  making  the  attempt.  Near¬ 
ly  fifteen  years  have  elapsed  since  it  began,  and  their 
ardor  is  not  abated.  On  the  contrary,  they  gather 
strength  as  they  proceed  ;  new  instruments  are  found, 
and  liberal  contributions  are  made  by  the  people.  In¬ 
deed  the  consciences  of  men  seem  to  bear  witness  that 
the  work  is  of  God. 

I  he  rapid  success  of  this  undertaking  must  appear 
almost  incredible  to  those  who  are  not  acquainted  with 
the  fact.  Translations  of  the  Scriptures  are  carried  on, 
not  only  in  the  languages  of  India,  Persia,  and  Arabia, 
but  in  those  also  of  Burmah  and  China.  Mount  Cau¬ 
casus,  in  the  interior  of  Asia,  is  another  centre  of  trans¬ 
lation  for  the  East,  particularly  for  the  numerou§  na¬ 
tions  of  the  Tartar  race.  The  Scriptures  are  prepar¬ 
ing  for  the  Malayan  isles,  and  for  the  isles  of  the  Pa¬ 
cific  sea.  The  great  continent  of  Africa  has  become 


298 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


the  scene  of  different  missions  and  translations.  North 
and  South  America  are  sending  forth  the  Scriptures. 
They  are  sent  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  They 
have  been  sent  to  Greenland,  Labrador,  and  Austral 
Asia.  We  might  almost  say,  “  There  is  no  speech  nor 
language  where  their  voice  is  not  heard.” 

And  this  spirit  for  the  diffusion  of  the  truth,  is  not 
confined  to  Britain.  It  is  found  among  good  men  of 
every  Christian  nation.  Perhaps  on  this  day  prayers 
are  offered  up  in  behalf  of  the  work,  in  Europe,  Asia, 
Africa,  and  America.  We  are  encouraged,  then,  to 
believe,  that  the  time  is  come,  in  the  first  place,  by  the 
consejit  of  good  men.  When  I  say  good  men,  I  mean 
religious  and  devout  men,  whose  minds  are  not  entire- 
ly  occupied  with  the  politics  and  affairs  of  this  world, 
but  who  are  “  looking  for  the  consolation  of  Israel 
as  it  is  expressed  in  these  words,  “  Thy  kingdom 
“  come.” 

2.  Another  circumstance  indicating  that  the  time  is 
at  hand,  is  the  general  contemplation  of  the  prophecies. 
The  prophecies  of  Scripture  are  at  this  time  pondered 
as  seriously  in  Asia  as  in  Europe.  Even  the  Jews  in 
the  East,  begin  to  study  the  oracles  of  the  prophet  Isa¬ 
iah.  And,  what  is  more  important,  the  prophecies  be¬ 
gin  to  be  published  among  heathen  nations ;  and  we 
may  expect  that  every  nation  will  soon  be  able  to  read 
the  divine  decree  concerning  itself. 

3.  The  holy  Scriptures  are  translating  into  various 
languages. 

When  the  Gospel  was  first  to  be  preached  to  all  na¬ 
tions,  it  was  necessary  to  give  a  diversity  of  tojigues  ;  a 
tongue  for  each  nation  ;  and  this  was  done  by  the  Divine 
Power.  But  in  this  second  promulgation,  as  it  wTere,  of 
the  Gospel,  the  work  will  probably  be  carried  on  by  a 
diversity  of  translations ,  a  diversity  of  Scriptures ;  a 
trarislation  for  each  nation.  Instead  of  the  gift  of 
tongues,  God,  by  his  providence,  is  giving  to  mankind  a 
gift  of  Scriptures. 

4.  Another  circumstance,  which  seems  to  testify  that 
this  work  is  of  God,  is  the  commotion  in  the  bands  of 
Infidelity  against  it.  “  Herod  is  troubled,  and  all  Jeru- 
w  salem  with  him.”  A  spirit  hath  issued  from  the 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


299 


•mouth  of  infidelity,  which  rageth  against  Him  whose 
Star  appeared  in  the  East,  and  would  destroy  the  work 
in  its  infancy.  It  rageth  not  against  the  Romish  Church 
in  the  East,  though  that  be  Christian ;  nor  against  the 
Armenian  Church  in  the  East,  though  that  be  Chris¬ 
tian  ;  nor  against  the  Greek  Church  in  the  East,  though 
that  be  Christian  ;  but  it  rageth  against  the  religion  of 
the  New-Tcstament,  that  vital  religion  which  aims  at 
the  conversion  of  the  hearts  of  men. 

Our  Saviour  hath  said,  “  The  Gospel  shall  be  pub- 
“  lished  among  all  nations.”  But  these  resist  the  Di¬ 
vine  Word,  and  say  it  cannot  be  published  in  ail  nations. 
Our  Lord  hath  said,  “  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and 
“  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.”  But  these  al¬ 
lege  that  the  Gospel  cannot  be  preached  to  every  crea¬ 
ture,  for  that  “  the  bond  of  superstition  is  too  strong,  or 
“  that  the  influence  of  Christianity  is  too  weak.” 

These  are  ungarded  words,  and  ought  not  to  be  heard 
in  a  Christian  country.  These  are  presumptuous  words, 
arraigning  the  dispensation  of  the  Most  High.  Such 
words  as  these  were  once  spoken  by  the  philosophers 
of  Greece  and  Rome,  but  the  Gospel  prevailed,  and 
first  erected  its  dominion  among  them.  In  process  of 
time  the  barbarous  nations  of  Europe  yielded  to  its  sway, 
of  which  we  are  evidences  at  this  day.  And  the  nations 
of  Asia  will  yield  to  the  same  power,  and  the  truth  will 
prevail,  and  the  Gospel  shall  be  preached  over  the  whole 
world. 

5.  The  last  circumstance  which  we  shall  mention,  as 
indicating  that  the  period  is  come  for  diffusing  the  Light 
of  Revelation,  is  the  revolution  of  nations ,  and  “  the  signs 
“  of  the  times.” 

Men  of  serious  minds,  who  are  erudite  in  Holy 
Scripture,  and  in  the  history  of  the  world,  look  forward 
to  great  events.  They  judge  of  the  future  from  the 
past.  They  have  see?i  great  events  ;  events  which, 
twenty  years  ago  would  have  appeared  as  incredible  as 
the  conversion  of  the  whole  world  to  Christianity. 

At  no  former  period  have  the  judgments  of  heaven 
been  so  evidently  directed  against  the  nations  which  are 
called  Christian,  as  at  this  day.  It  is  manifest  that  God 
hath  a  controversy  with  his  people,  whatever  be  the 


300 


THE  STAR  IK  THE  EAST. 


cause.  The  heathen  world  enjoys  a  comparative  tran¬ 
quility.  But  Christian  nations  are  visited  in  quick 
succession  by  his  awful  judgments.  What,  then,  is 
the  cause  of  the  judgments  of  God  on  his  Christian 
people  ? 

If  we  believe  the  declarations  of  God,  in  his  Holy 
Word,  we  shall  ascribe  the  judgment  of  Christian  na¬ 
tions,  at  this  day,  to  their  rejecting,  so  generally  the  tes¬ 
timony  of  Christ.  That  nation  which  first  “  denied  his 
“  name  before  men,”  was  first  given  up  to  suffer  terri¬ 
ble  judgments  itself,  and  is  now  permitted  to  become 
the  instrument  of  inflicting  judgments  on  others.  And 
this  is  agreeable  to  the  ordinary  course  of  God’s  just 
and  retributive  Providence.  That  kingdom  which  first 
seduced  others  by  its  infidelity,  is  now  become  the  in¬ 
strument  of  their  punishment.  The  same  retributive 
Providence  is  “  making  inquisition  for  the  blood  of  the 
“  saints.”  The  massacres,  fires,  and  anathemas  of  a 
former  day,  filled  the  minds  of  men  with  dismay.  We 
forget  these  scenes,  but  all  things  are  present  with  God. 
And  as  a  nation  cannot  be  punished  as  a  nation  in  the 
next  world  for  its  iniquity,  it  must  be  punished  in  this 
world  ;  and  its  “  sins  will  be  visited  to  the  third  and 
“  fourth  generation.”  For  a  long  time,  (as  men  count 
time,)  God  kept  silence  ;  but  the  day  of  retribution  is 
come  at  last,  and  the  seats  of  the  inquisition  must  be 
purged  with  blood. 

From  the  fury  of  these  desolating  judgments  ive  have 
hitherto  been  preserved.  “  Righteousness  exalteth  a 
‘£  nation.”  (Prov.  xvi.  24.)  It  would  appear  as  if  God 
would  thus  do  honor  to  a  Church  holding  pure  doc¬ 
trine,  and  to  a  State  united  with  that  Church  which 
hath  defended  the  true  Faith,  amidst  the  superstitions 
and  corruptions  which  have  so  long  reigned  in  the  Chris¬ 
tian  world.  Latterly,  indeed,  it  should  seem  as  if  God 
had  selected  this  nation,  as  formerly  his  chosen  people 
of  Israel,  to  preserve  among  men  a  knowledge  of  the 
true  religion  ;  for  we  have  been  called  to  stand  up,  as 
it  were,  “  between  the  living  and  the  dead,”  in  defence 
of  Christian  principles.  And  although  it  be  true  that 
we  have  fought  rather  for  our  country,  than  for  our  re¬ 
ligion,  yet  it  is  also  true  that  religion  is,  in  present  cir- 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


30! 


cumstances,  identified,  in  a  certain  degree,  with  the 
existence  of  our  country.  And  we  trust,  that  it  is  in 
the  purpose  of  Providence,  by  saving  the  one,  to  save 
the  other  also. 

Let  this  nation,  then,  weigh  well  what  it  is,  in  God’s 
moral  administration  of  the  world,  which  saves  her  at 
this  period.  Let  her  beware  of  infidelity,  and  of  that 
moral  taint  which  ever  accompanies  it.  Is  it  true  that 
any  of  our  chief  men  begin  to  “  laugh  at  vice,”  like 
Voltaire  !  Let  us  recal  to  view  the  experience  of  France. 
We  beheld  infidelity  gradually  infecting  that  nation, 
even  as  poison  passeth  through  the  human  frame,  till 
the  whole  body  of  the  great  was  saturated.  Then  was 
their  iniquity  full,  and  God’s  judgment  began.  Now, 
though  it  be  true  that  the  faith  of  our  church  is  pure, 
that  “  she  holdeth  the  head,”  that  she  is  founded  on  the 
Prophets,  Evangelists,  and  Apostles  ;  though  it  be  true 
that  there  is  in  the  midst  of  her  a  large  body  of  right¬ 
eous  persons,  men  possessing  sound  learning,  enlight¬ 
ened  zeal,  and  pure  charity  ;  men  w'ho  are  called  by 
our  Saviour  “  the  light  of  the  world,”  and  “  the  salt 
“  of  the  earth;”  yet  it  is  equally  certain  that  the  great¬ 
er  part  of  her  members  are  not  of  that  description.  It 
is  certain  that  the  spot  of  moral  disease  begins  to  be  vis¬ 
ible  at  a  distance.  And  we  knowr  not  but  that  the  true 
state  of  the  nation  may  be  this,  that  there  is  just  “  salt” 
enough,  (to  use  the  figure  of  the  Gospel,)  to  preserve 
the  body  from  corruption. 

Let  us  then  weigh  well  •what  it  is  which,  in  the 
present  circumstances  of  the  world,  saves  this  nation. 
If  it  be  the  divine  pleasure  to  save  us ,  while  other  na¬ 
tions  are  destroyed,  it  cannot  be  on  account  of  the  great* 
ness  of  our  empire ,  or  of  our  dominion  by  sea ,  or  of  our 
extended  commerce.  For  why  should  the  moral  Govern¬ 
or  of  the  world  respect  such  circumstances  as  these  ? 

,  But  it  we  are  spared,  it  will  be,  we  believe,  on  account 
of  our  maintaining  the  pure  religion  of  Christ  as  the  re¬ 
ligion  of  our  land ,  and  of  our  promoting  the  knowledge  of 
that  religion ,  and  of  the  blessed  principles  which  accom¬ 
pany  it',  throughout  the  rest  of  the  world.  This  may  be 
a  consideration  worthy  of  the  divine  regard.  And  this 
though  it  be  no  pledge  of  our  duration,  is  the  chief  as- 

li  b 


302 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


surance  of  our  perpetuity.  On  this  chiefly,  (viz.  our 
being  an  instrument  of  good  to  the  world,)  must  depend 
our  hope  of  surviving  the  shocks  and  convulsions  which 
are  now  overwhelming  the  other  nations  of  Europe. 

Let  us  now  recapitulate  the  evidences  noticed  in  this 
discourse,  which  encourage  us  to  believe  that  the  time 
is  come  for  disseminating  the  knowledge  of  Christiani¬ 
ty  in  the  heathen  world. 

1.  The  facility  with  which  Christianity  is  propaga¬ 
ted  generally  in  Asia,  wherever  the  attempt  has  been 
made. 

2.  The  peculiar  success  that  has  attended  our  own  en¬ 
deavours  to  promote  the  religion  of  the  Bible. 

3.  The  conversion  of  illustrious  persons  in  Asia,  by 
means  of  the  Bible  alone. 

4.  The  translation  of  the  Bible  into  almost  all  the  lan¬ 
guages  of  Asia  ;  promising,  as  it  were,  a  second  pro¬ 
mulgation  of  Christianity  to  the  East. 

5.  The  general  contemplation  of  the  prophecies  in 
Europe  and  Asia. 

6.  The  general  commotion  among  the  bands  of  infi¬ 
delity,  who  are  hostile  to  the  design,  both  in  Europe  and 
Asia. 

7.  The  consent  of  good  men,  in  all  Christian  nations, 
to  promote  the  design.  And, 

8.  The  preservation  of  our  own  country,  to  carry  on 
the  work,  amidst  the  ruin  or  infidelity  of  other  nations. 

Behold,  then,  my  brethren,  the  great  undertaking,  for 
the  promotion  of  which  you  are  now  assembled.  If  it 
were  in  the  power  .of  this  assembly  to  diffuse  the  bles¬ 
sings  of  religion  over  the  whole  world,  would  it  not  be 
done  ?  Would  not  all  nations  be  blessed  ?  You  perceive 
that  some  take  a  lively  interest  in  this  subject,  while 
others  are  less  concerned.  What  is  the  reason  of  this 
difference  ?  It  is  this  :  Every  man,  who  hath  felt  the  in¬ 
fluence  of  religion  on  his  own  heart,  will  desire  to  ex¬ 
tend  the  blessing  to  the  rest  of  mankind  ;  and  no  one 
who  hath  lived  without  a  concern  about  religion,  will  be 
solicitous  to  communicate  to  others  a  gift  which  he  val¬ 
ues  not  himself.  At  the  same  time,  perhaps,  he  is  not 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


303 


willing  to  be  thought  hostile  to  the  work.  But  there  is 
no  neutrality  here.  “  He  that  is  not  with  Christ,”  in 
maintaining  his  kingdom  on  earth,  “  is  against  Him.” 
And  so  it  appeareth  to  “  God,  who  searcheth  the  heart.” 
Every  one  of  us  is  now  acting  a  part  in  regard  to  this 
matter,  for  which  he  must  give  an  account  hereafter. 
There  is  no  one,  however  peculiarhe  may  reckon  his  sit¬ 
uation  or  circumstances,  who  is  exempted  from  this  re¬ 
sponsibility.  For  this  is  the  criterion  of  obedience  in  the 
sight  of  God,  even  our  conduct  in  receiving  or  reject¬ 
ing  the  “record  which  God  hath  given  of  his  Son.” 
And  no  man  “  receiveth  this  record,”  in  sincerity  and 
truth,  who  will  not  desire  to  make  it  known  to  others. 
You  have  heard  of  the  conversion  of  Mahometans  and 
Hindoos.  Yes,  our  Lord  hath  said,  “  Many  shall  come 
“  from  the  East  and  from  the  West,  and  shall  sit  down 
“  with  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom 
“  of  Heaven :  but  the  children  of  the  kingdom  shall  be 
“  cast  out.” 

Begin,  then,  at  this  time,  the  solemn  inquiry,  not 
merely  into  the  general  truth  of  Christ’s  religion,  but  in¬ 
to  its  divine  and  converting  power.  You  observe  that 
in  this  discourse  I  have  distinguished  between  the  name 
of  Christianity  and  the  thing.  For  it  seems  there  are 
some  who  have  departed  from  the,  ancient  principles  of 
our  reformation,  who  admit  the  existence  of  the  .Spirit 
of  God,  but  deny  his  influence  ;  who  agree  not  with  the 
Apostle  Paul,  that  the  “  Gospel  cometli  to  some  in  word 
“  only,”  and  to  others  “in  power,  and  in  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  in  much  assurance  and  who  seem  to  for¬ 
get  what  our  Saviour  hath  said  of  the  «  broad  road”  and 
the  «  narrow  way.”  Begin,  then,  the  important  inqui¬ 
ry  ;  for  “  the  time  is  short,”  and  this  question  will  soon 
be  brought  to  issue  before  an  assembled  world.  In  the 
mean  time  I  shall  offer  to  you  my  testimony  on  this  sub¬ 
ject. 

T.  lie  operation  of  the  grace  of  God,  in  “  renewing  a 
right  spirit  within  us,”  (Ps.  li.)  is  a  doctrine  professed 
by  the  whole  faithful  Church  of  Christ  militant  here  on 
earth.  The  great  author  of  our  religion  hath  himself 
delivered  the  doctrine,  in  the  most  solemn  manner  to 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


304 

the  world.  “  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Except  a 
“  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of 
“  God.”  Verily ,  verily  :  it  is  an  undoubted  truth,  an 
unchangeable  principle  of  the  heavenly  dispensation, 
that,  except  a  man  be  renewed  in  mind  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  he  shall  not  have  power  even  to  see  or  behold  the 
■kingdom  of  God.  What,  though  many  in  our  day  deny 
this  doctrine  ?  A  whole  nation  denied  a  doctrine,  greater, 
if  possible,  than  this.  The  very  name  and  religion  of 
Christ  have  been  denied  in  our  time.  But  if  our  Saviour 
hath  declared  any  one  doctrine  of  the  Gospel  more  clear¬ 
ly  than  another,  it  is  this  of  a  spiritual  conversion  ;  and 
the  demonstration  of  its  truth  is  found  in  all  lands  where 
his  gospel  is  known.* **  Christians,  differing  in  almost  ev¬ 
ery  thing  else,  agree  in  this.  Differing  in  language,  cus¬ 
toms,  colour,  and  in  country  ;  differing  in  forms  of  wor¬ 
ship  and  Church  government,  in  external  rites  and  in  in¬ 
ternal  order  ;  they  yet  agree  in  the  doctrine  of  a  change 
of  heart,  through  faith  in  Christ ;  for  this  hath  been  the 
grand  characteristic  of  Christ’s  religion  among  all  na¬ 
tions,  tongues,  and  kindreds,  where  the  Gospel  hath 
been  preached,  through  all  ages  down  to  this  day. 
This  is,  in  fact,  that  which  distinguishes  the  religion 
of  God,  in  Asia,  from  the  religions  oi  men.  In  every 
part  of  the  earth  where  I  myself  have  been,  this  doctrine 
is  proclaimed,  as  the  hope  of  the  sinner,  and  the  glory 
of  the  Saviour.  And  again,  in  every  place  it  is  oppo- 

*  The  late  learned  and  judicious  Parey  has  given  his  dying 
testimony  to  the  truth  of  this  doctrine.  (See  his  sermons,  p.  119  ) 
“  A  change  so  entire,  so  deep,  so  important  as  this,  I  do  allow  to 
“  be  a  conversion;  (he  had  said  before,  *  there  must  be  a  rev- 

**  olution  of  principle  :  there  must  be  a  revolution  within  ;’)  and 
“  no  one  who  is  in  the  situation  above  described,  can  be  saved  with- 

out  undergoing  it ;  and  he  must  necessarily  both  be  sensible  of 
“  it  at  the  time,  and  remember  it  all  his  life  afterwards.  It  is  too 
“  momentous  an  event  ever  to  be  forgot.  A  man  might  as  easily 
“  forget  his  escape  from  ship’  wreck.  Whether  it  was  sudden,  or 
“  whether  it  was  gradual,  if  it  was  effected  (and  the  fruits  will 
“  prove  that,)  it  was  a  true  conversion  ;  and  every  such  person  may 
“  justly  both  believe,  and  say  it  himself,  that  he  was  converted  at  a 
“  particular  assignable  time.” 

Paley  here  speaks  the  language  of  the  true  Church  of  Christ,  (n 
all  ages  and  nations. 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


SOS- 


seel,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  by  the  same  evil  pas¬ 
sions  of  the  human  heart.  In  rude  nations,  the  same 
arguments  are  brought  against  it,  in  substance,  which 
are  used  here  in  a  learned  country.  Among  ignorant 
nations,  a  term  of  reproach  is  attached  to  serious  piety, 
even  as  it  is  here  among  a  refined  people  ;  thereby  prov¬ 
ing  what  our  Lord  hath  taught,  That  the  superior  good¬ 
ness  inculcated  by  his  Gospel  would  not  be  agreeable 
to  all  men ;  and  that  some  “  would  revile  and  speak 
evil  of  his  disciples,  for  righteousness’  sake  thereby 
proving  what  the  Apostle  Paul  hath  taught,  That  “  the 
Cross  of  Christ  is  an  offence”  to  the  natural  pride  of  the 
human  heart ;  that  “  the  carnal  mind  is  enmity  against 
God  and  that  “  the  natural  man  receiveth  not  the 
things  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  because  they  are  spiritually 
discerned.” 

I  have  thought  it  right,  my  brethren,  to  deliver  to 
you  my  testimony  at  this  time  ;  to  assure  you  that  the 
Gospel  which  begins  to  enlighten  the  East,  is  not 
“  another  gospel,”  as  the  Apostle  speaks,  but  the  same 
as  your  own.  There  is  one  Sun  ;  there  is  one  Gos¬ 
pel  ;  “  There  is  one  Lord,  one  Faith,  one  Baptism 
and  there  is  one  Judgment.  May  we  be  all  prepared 
to  give  our  answer  on  that  day  ! 

_  My  brethren,  you  are  now  invited  to  contribute  some 
aid  toward  the  extension  of  the  religion  of  Christ.  You 
are  now  called  on  to  give  your  testimony  to  its  truth. 
You  arc  now,  as  it  were,  to  present  “  your  gifts”  before 
Him  who  was  born  Saviour  of  the  world;  and  to  send 
back  those  “  glad  tidings”  to  the  East,  which  the  East 
once  sent  to  you,  namely,  that  the  Light  is  come,  that 
“  the  Desire  of  all  nations  is  come.”  Let  every  one 
who  prays  with  his  lips,  “Thv  kingdom  come,”  prove 
to  himself,  at  this  time,  his  own  sincerity,  that  he  really 
desires  in  his  heart  that  the  kingdom  of  Christ  should 
come.  Blessed  is  the  man  who  accounts  it  not  only  a 
duty,  but.  a  privilege,  to  dispense  “the  word  of  life” 
amongst  his  fellow-men.  It  is  indeed,  a  privilege,  and 
so  you  will  account  it  hereafter,  when  you  shall  behold 
all  nations  assembled  before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ. 
You  will  then  reflect  with  joy  that  you  were  enabled,  at 


306 


THE  STAR  IN  THE  EAST. 


this  time, 11  to  confess  His  name  before  men,”  and  to  af¬ 
ford  some  aid  for  the  <c  increase  of  his  government”  and 
glory  upon  earth.  And  let  every  one  who  lends  this 
aid  accompany  it  with  prayer,  that  the  act  may  be  bles¬ 
sed  to  himself  in  awakening  his  mind  more  fully  to  the 
Unutterable  importance  of  the  everlasting  Gospel. 


SERMON  II 


Matt.  v.  14.  Ye  are  the  Light  of  the  World. 


a  T 

In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word 
was  with  God,  and  the  word  was  God,”  John  i,  1 . 
“  And  the  Word  was  made  Flesh,  and  dwelt  among 
us  ;  and  we  beheld  his  Glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only- 
begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth,”  John 
i,  14.  And  the  word,  being  “  manifest  in  the  flesh, 
was  justified  in  the  Spirit,  seen  of  angels”  in  this  hum¬ 
ble  state,  “  preached  unto  the  Gentiles,  believed  on  in 
the  world,  received  up  into  glory,”  1  Tim.  iii.  1 6. 

This,  my  Brethren,  is  the  sum  of  that  Divine  Re¬ 
cord,  which  is  to  give  light  to  the  world. 

Christ  is  the  fountain  of  light.  “  I  am  the  light  of 
the  world,”  saith  the  Eternal  Word.  When  therefore 
he  saith,  “  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world,”  he  means 
not  that  ye  are  that  light,  but  are  to  “  bear  witness  of 
that  light,”  John  i,  18.  Ye  are  merely  instruments 
of  the  light  (like  the  greater  and  lesser  lights  in  the  fir¬ 
mament  of  heaven)  to  reflect  and  diffuse  it  throughout 
the  world. 

Christ  is  the  Fountain  of  Light ;  that  is,  of  spirit¬ 
ual  light.  For,  as  the  light  of  reason  was  conferred 
on  the  first  man  Adam,  and  is  natural  to  all  men  ;  so  the 
LIGHT  of  LIFE  cometh  by  the  Second  Adam,  who 
is  “  a  quickening  spirit,  the  Lord  from  heaven.”  “  He 
that  followeth  me,”  saith  Christ,  “  shall  have  the  light 
pi  life;”  John  viii,  12. 

That  you  may  have  clear  conceptions  on  this  subject, 
we  shall,  in  our  introduction,  discuss  this  doctrine  of 
our  Saviour  concerning  “  the  Light  of  Life,”  even  that 
spiritual  light  by  which,  saith  the  Apostle,  “  the  eyes  of 
our  understanding  are  enlightened,”  Eph.  i,  18  ;  for  I 
fear  that  many  discourses  have  been  pronounced  in  this 


308 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


nation  without  any  allusion  to  it.  And,  first,  let  us  in¬ 
quire  who  those  persons  were  whom  our  Lord  called 

the  light  of  the  world.”  This  appellation  was  not 
given  to  the  Jewish  nation  in  general,  but  to  a  few  in¬ 
dividuals,  whom  the  great  body  of  the  Jews  supposed 
to  be  in  the  darkness  of  error  ;  but  who,  in  reality,  saw 
the  true  Light,  while  “  the  darkness  comprehended  it 
not.” 

As  it  was  in  the  days  of  Christ,  so  it  is  in  our  time  : 
the  spiritual  light  is  not  poured  upon  a  whole  nation, 
or  upon  a  whole  community  of  men  by  any  system  of 
education,  but  it  is  given  to  individuals  ;  even  to  such 
individuals  as  earnestly  pray  for  it.  “  He,  that  follow- 
eth  me,”  saith  Christ,  “  shall  not  walk  in  darkness,  but 
shall  have  the  light  of  life  ;”  for  u  every  one,  thatasketh, 
receiveth  :  he,  that  seeketh,  findeth  :  and  to  him,  that 
knocketh,  it  shall  be  opened,”  Matt,  vii,  8.  And  this 
is  expressly  spoken  in  reference  to  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  A  whole  nation  may  enjoy  the  external  light, 
and  may  exhibit  the  civilizing  power  of  Christianity, 
and  yet  be  involved  in  spiritual  darkness.  And  this  is 
“  the  hard  saying”  which  “  the  world  cannot  receive.” 
“  The  words  of  scripture,”  say  they,  “  are  sufficient  of 
themselves  to  illuminate  the  mind  without  the  light 
from  heaven.”  The  dead  letter  hath  light  enough  for 
them.  Whereas  the  Apostle  saith,  “  God  hath  made 
usable  ministers  of  the  New  Testament;  not  of  the 
letter,  but  of  the  spirit :  for  the  letter  killeth,  but  the 
spirit  giveth  life,”  2  Cor.  iii,  6.  But  the  world  in  gen¬ 
eral  will  not  receive  this  truth.  “  And  this  is  the  con¬ 
demnation,”  saith  our  Lord,  “  that  light  is  come  into 
the  world,  and  men  love  darkness  rather  than  light.” 
Thus  St.  Paul  himself  disbelieved  once,  and  proceeded 
to  Damascus,  having  his  heart  filled  with  enmity  against 
this  heavenly  doctrine.  But  behold,  “  he  saw  in  the 
way  a  light  from  heaven,  above  the  brightness  of  the 
sun,  shining  round  about  him  :”  yet  this  external  light 
was  but  a  faint  emblem  of  that  illumination,  which  was 
imparted  to  his  soul,  and  which  our  Saviour  calleth  “  the 
Light  of  Life.” 

My  Brethren,  unless  a  man  have  the  Light  of  Life, 
he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God.  For,  though  there 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


309 


be  no  external  miracle,  like  that  in  the  case  of  the 
Apostle,  to  accompany  it ;  yet  the  internal  miracle 
subsists,  in  all  its  truth  and  reality;  and  is  manifest¬ 
ed  at  this  day  in  the  same  kind  of  vigor  and  efficacy,  as 
in  the  first  days  of  the  Gospel.  For,  as  the  first  Chris¬ 
tians  and  the  Christians  of  this  age  are  to  be  partakers 
of  the  same  glory  in  heaven,  so  it  is  necessary  that 
they  acquire  the  same  meetness  for  that  inheritance, 
and  become  subjects  of  the  same  conversion  of  heart 
here  on  earth. 

I  would  record  this  doctrine  of  the  Divine  Illumi¬ 
nation  in  the  very  threshold  of  our  discourse  ;  for  it  is 
of  importance  that  its  truth  be  made  manifest  to  our¬ 
selves,  before  it  be  preached  to  the  heathen  world. 
But  it  will  be  useful  to  prosecute  the  argument  fur¬ 
ther. 

It  is  common  to  arraign  that  ancient  people,  the 
Jews,  for  their  unbelief:  and  we  are  wont  to  view 
their  hardness  of  heart  with  a  kind  of  horror.  But,  in 
regard  to  the  doctrine  alluded  to,  Jews  and  nominal 
Christians  are  in  the  same  condemnation.  The  Jews 
received  the  words  of  Scripture  as  we  do :  but  they 
rejected  the  spiritual  light.  “  When  they  read  the  Old 
Testament,”  saith  the  Apostle,  “  the  veil  is  upon  their 
hearts  unto  this  day they  perceived  not  the  spiritual 
kingdom  of  the  promised  Messiah.  In  like  manner, 
when  nominal  Christiana  read  the  New  Testament, 
the  veil  is  upon  their  hearts,  and  they  perceive  not  the 
promise  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  For,  as  the  Messiah,  God 
the  SON,  was  the  one  great  object  presented  to  view 
in  the  promises  and  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament ; 
so  the  subject  of  the  Grand  Promise  in  the  New  Tes¬ 
tament  is,  God  the  HOLY  GHOST.  The  Holy  Spir¬ 
it  is  the  very  life  and  essence,  and,  in  regard  to  actual 
operation  on  the  hearts  of  men,  the  Alpha  and  Omega 
of  the  New  Dispensation,  which  is  emphatically  called 
“  the  Ministration  of  the  Spirit,”  2  Cor.  iii,  8.  This 
was  that  “  promise  of  the  Father  of  which  our  Saviour 
spake  with  such  earnestness  and  exultation  to  his  dis¬ 
ciples  ;  and  which  he  said  would  u  abide  in  the  world 
for  ever,”  John  xiv,  16.  The  Day  of  Pentecost  was 
properly  the  first  day  of  the  Christian  Dispensation, 


310 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


for,  on  that  clay,  the  fountains  of  divine  influence  were 
opened  for  the  Universal  Church  ;  never  to  be  closed 
again  to  the  end  of  time.  Unless  this  light  of  the  Spir¬ 
it  had  been  shed  forth,  the  Apostles  themselves  could 
not  have  fully  understood  the  Gospel,  even  after  hear¬ 
ing  the  words  of  Christ  from  the  beginning  of  his  min¬ 
istry  to  the  hour  of  his  ascension.  And,  without  this 
light,  the  New  Testament,  in  regard  to  its  spiritual 
meaning,  must  be  as  “  a  sealed  book”  to  every  man  at 
this  day. 

Men  of  the  world  acknowledge,  indeed,  that  there  is 
a  promise  of  divine  light  under  the  New  Dispensation  ; 
but  they  allege  that  it  was  intended  for  others,  and  not 
for  them.  They  say  that  the  light  shone  a  little  while 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  Religion,  but  was  soon 
extinguished,  and  that  the  world  was  left  again  in  dark¬ 
ness  !  They  do  not  understand,  they  say,  that  there  is 
any  difference  between  the  dispensation  of  Moses  and 
the  dispensation  of  Christ,  except  merely  in  the  publi¬ 
cation  of  an  inspired  hook  throughout  the  world  ! 
What  further  evidence  can  we  require  of  the  exist¬ 
ence  of  a  kingdom  in  this  world,  which  is  under  the 
dominion  of  that  spirit,  who  is  called  by  our  Saviour, 
“  the  Prince  of  Darkness  and  by  St.  Paul  “  the  god 
of  this  World,”  who  “  hath  blinded  the  minds  of  them 
that  believe  not,  lest  the  light  of  the  glorious  Gospel  of 
Christ,  wrho  is  the  image  of  God,  should  shine  unto 
them,”  2  Cor.  iv,  4. 

In  the  foregoing  argument,  we  have  not  spoken  of 
that  extraordinary  light,  which  imparted  to  men  the 
gift  of  prophecy  and  of  tongues  ;  but  of  that  ordinary 
light,  which  sheweth  to  the  sinner  “the  glorious  Gos¬ 
pel  of  Christ as  above  expressed  :  and  which  inspir- 
cth  him  w  ith  love  to  God  and  with  faith  in  his  redeem¬ 
er  ;  which  mortifieth  evil  affections,  purifieth  the  heart, 
giveth  to  the  soul  a  peace  which  passeth  all  under¬ 
standing,  and  a  sure  and  certain  hope  of  the  resurrec¬ 
tion  unto  eternal  life.  We  speak  of  that  light,  what¬ 
ever  it  may  be,  which  is  necessary  “  to  open  the  under¬ 
standing,  that  wre  may  understand  the  Scriptures,” 
Luke  xxiv,  45. 

We  before  asserted,  that  the  spiritual  light  is  not 


THE  LIGHT  OE  THE  WORLD.  SH 

given  to  a  nation  or  community  of  men  by  any  sys¬ 
tem  of  education  ;  but  to  individuals  :  even  to  those, 
who  obey  the  divine  admonition,  and  supplicate  the 
Father  of  Lights,”  for  the  “good  and  perfect  gift.” 
Let  us  now  proceed  to  inquire  what  was  the  charac¬ 
ter  of  those  persons  whom  our  Saviour  addressed  as 
“  tlie  Light  of  the  World.”  For  if  men  say,  “We  can¬ 
not  see  this  spiritual  light:  to  us  it  is  invisible:”  we  must 
lead  their  attention  to  that  which  is  obvious  and  visi¬ 
ble  ;  namely,  the  MORAL  character  of  “  the  children 
ofLight.” 

The  character  of  those  who  are  called  the  Light  of 
the  World,  is  recorded  by  our  Lord  himself 'in  his 
Sermon .  from  the  Mount;  for  they  are  the  persons 
whose  virtues  are  the  subject  of  his  beatitudes.  It 
was  on  that  occasion,  when  he  had  finished  the  enu¬ 
meration  of  their  peculiar  dispositions,  that  he  said 
“  Ye  are  the  Light  of  the  world.” 

I  know  not  any  mistake  so  general  at  this  day  as 
that  which  regards  our  Lord’s  Sermon  from  the  Mount. 
'I  he  general  impression  seems  to  be  that  these  precepts 
may  be  obeyed  by  a  heathen  as  well  as  by  a  Christian, 
if  you  merely  propose  them  to  him,  without  the  aid  of 
any  spiritual  influence  from  above.  But,  my  brethren,  no 
man  can  observe  these  precepts,  or  even  have  a  just 
conception  of  the  meaning  of  these  Beatitudes,  unless 
he  have  “  the  light  of  life.”  For  how  can  we  under- 
stand  what  it  is  to  be  “  poor  in  spirit to  hunger  and 
thirst  after  righteousness  :”  or  “  to  rejoice  and  be  ex¬ 
ceeding  glad  when  we  are  persecuted  for  righteousness 
sake  ;  or  “  to  pray  for  them  who  speak  all  manner  ofevil 
against  us  falsely  for  Christ’s  sake,”  unless  the  “eyes 
of  our  understanding  be  opened  ?”  Eph.  i,  18. 

“  In  these  Beatitudes,  our  Saviour  exhibits  to  the 
world  the  character  of  his  disciples.  Fie  declares  the 
heavenly  temper  and  consequent  blessedness  of  those 
persons,  who  should  be  subjects  of  his  spiritual  king- 
Gom,  which  had  now  commenced.  For,  when  ife 
saith,  “  Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  he  saith,  in  effect,  “  Blessed  are 
ye,  my  disciples,  for  ye  are  poor  in  spirit:”  and  so  of 
all  the  other  dispositions  there  described  ;  “  Blessed  are 


■312 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


the  meek:”  “  Blessed  are  the  merciful :”  “  Blessed  arc 
the  peace-makers  “  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart:” 
“  Blessed  are  they  which  hunger  and  thirst  after  right¬ 
eousness.”  All  these  inestimable  ^lulities  of  mind 
belong  to  the  disciples  of  Christ ;  not  one  of  them,  but 
all.  They  all  flow  from  “  the  self-same  Spirit like 
sweet  waters  from  the  same  fountain.  They  are  the 
characters  of  that  great  moral  change,  which  our 
Saviour  foretold  would  be  a  frequent  event  under  the 
New  Dispensation. 

When  our  Lord  had  given  this  record  of  the  pure 
and  heavenly  dispositions  of  his  disciples,  he  said  unto 
them,  “Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world.” 

At  that  time,  there  were  many  illustrious  characters 
in  the  world :  men  of  great  eminence,  who  flourished 
in  Greece  and  Rome,  and  enlightened  mankind  by  their 
science  and  learning  ;  whose  names  are  renowned  at 
this  day.  But  our  Loi’d  said  to  his  unlettered  disciples, 
“  YE  are  the  light  of  the  world.” 

At  that  time,  too,  there  were  many  in  Judea,  who 
had  the  revelation  of  God  in  their  hands ;  “  to  whom 
were  committed  the  oracles  of  God,”  and  who  con¬ 
ceived  themselves  to  be  the  church  and  people  of  God. 
Yet,  when  our  Saviour  came,  he  did  not  find  one  fit 
instrument  for  his  ministry  among  the  priesthood  of 
the  Jewish  Church.  And  he  turned  to  his  disciples, 
and  said,  “  YE  are  the  light  of  the  world.” 

We  have  introduced  this  doctrine  of  the  Divine  Illu¬ 
mination  into  the  exordium  of  the  Discourse,  that  it 
may  guide  us  in  our  way  through  the  difficult  subject 
which  lies  before  us.  You  will  be  now  prepared  to  con¬ 
sider  the  following  propositions : 

1.  If  you  would  be  “  The  light  of  the  world,”  you 
will  draw  your  light  from  Christ,  and  send  forth  preach¬ 
ers  bearingthe  character  which  He  hath  delineated. 

2.  If  you  fye  instruments  of  “  the  true  light,”  you 
will  be  zealous  in  adopting  the  most  effectual  means  of 
diffusing  it.  And  it  will  probably  appear  to  you,  that 
you  ought  to  adopt  more  efficient  measures  for  this 
purpose,  than  have  hitherto  been  employed.  For  it  is 
manifest,  that  a  new  era  in  the  Church  hath  arrived ; 
which  authorizes  you  to  use  new  means. 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD.  313 

I.  If  you  would  appropriate  the  appellation 
of  our  Saviour,  and  be  “  the  light  of  the 
world,”  you  will  draw  your  Light  from  Christ, 
and  send  forth  preachers  bearing  the  char¬ 
acter  which  he  hath  delineated. 

They  must  be  men  into  whose  hearts  “  the  true  light 
hath  shined  ;”  such  preachers  as  our  own  Church  ap¬ 
proves  ;  who  “  trust  that  they  are  moved  to  the  work 
by  the  Hoiy  Ghost.”  And,  with  regard  to  their  out¬ 
ward  deportment,  they  must  be  men  whose  dispositions 
accord  with  those  which  are  described  in  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount ;  such  as  the  Hindoo  Christians  call  «  Men 
01  the  Beatitudes  That  is  their  proper  character ; 
and  there  are  more  persons  of  that  character  in  Great 
Britain  at  this  day,  than  there  were  in  Judea,  in  the 
time  of  our  Saviour.  This  is  sufficiently  evident  from 
the  Evangelic  History.  You  ought  to  be  at  no  loss, 
then,  to  find  fit  instruments  of  the  Light. 

But,  in  regard  to  such  instruments,  there  are  two 
important  subjects  of  inquiry  at  this  period  of  the 
Church:  first,  what  degree  of  Learning  they  ought  to 
possess ;  and,  secondly,  whether  they  ought  to  be  in¬ 
vested  with  the  Sacred  Character  before  they  proceed 
on  their  mission. 

1.  Our  first  inquiry  respects  the  degree  of  Learn¬ 
ing,  which  Christian  Missionaries  ought  to  possess. 

The  preachers,  whom  our  Saviour  sent  forth,  were 
men  oi  humble  condition,  and  destitute  of  human 
learning.  This  was  ordained,  that  the  divine  power  of 
his  Gospel  might  be  made  manifest,  by  the  apparently 
inadequate  means  employed  in  its  promulgation.  All 
learning,  however,  of  whatever  kind,  which  was  ne¬ 
cessary  for  their  ministry,  was  imparted  to  them  su- 
pernaturally. 

But  the  Apostle  Paul,  the  «  chosen  vessel/’  who 
was  ordained  to  preach  to  the  Gentiles,  was  not  des¬ 
titute  of  human  learning,  naturally  acquired.  And  we 
ai e  tuugnt  by  his  ttpistles,  that  we  may  avail  ourselves 
of  every  human  aid  to  dispense  the  blessings  of  the 
Gospel ;  such  as  rank,  wealth,  eloquence,  and°Iearning. 
For  all  these  are  blessings  of  God ;  and  are  means  of 
persuading  men,  as  much  as  speech  itself.  Has  it  eve- 


514 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


been  imagined,  that  a  man  could  preach  the  Gospel 
without  the  gift  of  speech,  by  signs  alone  ?  All  these 
human  aids,  I  say,  are  valuable  gifts  of  God  ;  and  only 
cease  to  be  blessings  by  the  abuse  of  them.  It  is  true, 
that  the  Gospel  may  be  preached  with  great  energy  by 
Ministers  possessing  inconsiderable  attainments  in  lit¬ 
erature.  *  It  sometimes  happens,  that  the  most  success¬ 
ful  ministrations  are  conducted  by  men  of  very  mode¬ 
rate  acquirements.  And,  indeed,  the  character  of  the 
Gospel  seems  to  require,  that,  in  most  cases  (where  the 
true  doctrine  is  preached)  it  should  give  more  honor  to 
zeal  and  diligence  than  to  genius  and  learning.  But 
it  is  also  true,  that  God  is  pleased  to  make  himself 
known  by  the  use  of  means.  And,  when  these  means 
are  used  in  subordination  to  his  grace,  he  will  honor 
the  means.  This  has  been  the  experience  of  every 
eminent  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  in  the  history  of  Chris¬ 
tianity,  from  the  time  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  down  to 
your  late,  pious,  eloquent,  and  honored  Pastor,  who 
so  long  and  so  successfully  ministered  in  this  church.* 

It  is  expedient,  then,  that  those  who  go  forth  as 
preachers  to  the  Gentiles  at  this  day,  should,  like  the 
first  great  preacher,  have  a  competent  degree  of 
knowledge  ;  that  they  may  be  able  to  meet  the  argu¬ 
ments  of  the  more  learned  among  the  Heathen. 

I  have  sometimes  been  ashamed  to  see  the  Christian 
Missionary  put  to  silence  by  the  intelligent  Brahmin,  in 
some  point  relating  to  the  history  of  Eastern  nations, 
or  to  the  present  state  of  mankind.  I  have  felt  anx¬ 
ious  for  the  credit  of  Christianity,  if  I  may  so  speak, 
on  such  occasions  :  for  the  argument  from  fact ,  and 
from  the  existing  state  of  the  world,  is  strong  ground, 
both  for  the  Christian  and  his  adversary,  in  all  discus¬ 
sions  relating  to  a  revelation  from  God.  This  is  well 
illustrated  in  the  history  of  St.  Paul,  who  disputed  with 
the  learned  at  Athens  on  their  own  principles  ;  and 
quoted  their  poets  in  defence  of  the  Gospel. 

Let  us  then  honor  human  learning.  Every  branch 
of  knowledge  which  a  good  man  possesses,  he  may 
apply  to  some  good  purpose.  if  he  possessed  the 

*  The  Rev.  William  Romaine. 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WOULD. 


315 


knowledge  of  an  archangel,  he  might  employ  it  all  to 
the  advantage  of  men,  and  the  glory  of  God. 

Some  portion  of  learning  is,  therefore,  indispensible 
to  insure  even  a  tolerable  degree  of  success,  in  preach¬ 
ing  to  the  Heathen  World.  But  let  us  rightly  under¬ 
stand  what  the  nature  of  this  learning  is.  It  is  not  an 
acquaintance  with  mathematical  or  classical  literature 
that  is  chiefly  required.  The  chief  use  of  natural  sci¬ 
ence  to  a  preacher,  is,  to  illustrate  moral  and  spiritual 
subjects  :  but  it  other  men  be  not  acquainted  with  the 
scientific  facts  which  he  adduces,  these  facts  no  longer 
serve  as  illustrations  to  them.  Neither  is  a  knowledge 
of  the  classics  requisite.  For  those  Missionaries,  in¬ 
deed,  who  are  to  translate  the  Scriptures,  a  knowledge 
of  the  original  languages  is  indispensible  ;  but  for 
Missionaries  in  general,  who  preach  to  uncivilized  na¬ 
tions,  classical  erudition  is  not  necessary. 

The  proper  learning  of  the  Christian  Preacher,  who 
goes  forth  to  the  Gentiles,  is  an  accurate  knowledge  of 
the  Bible,  and  a  general  knowledge  of  the  history  of 
the  world.  It  was  reported  to  me,  as  a  saying  of  the 
venerable  Swartz,  that  the  foundation  of  extensive 
usefulness  among  the  Heathen  is  “  a  knowledge  of  the 
Scriptures  in  the  vernacular  language, and  an  acquaint¬ 
ance  with  the  history  of  nations  in  any  language.” 
This  seems  to  be  the  testimony  of  truth.  The  History 
of  the  World  illustrates  the  Word  of  God;  and  the 
Book  of  Providence,  when  devoutly  studied,  becomes 
a  commentary  on  the  Book  of  Revelation.  But  if  the 
preacher  be  ignorant  of  the  great  events  of  the  world, 
“  the  word  of  prophecy”  is  in  a  manner  lost  in  his  min- 
istry  ;  particularly  in  relation  to  the  revolutions  in  Eas¬ 
tern  Nations  :  for,  in  this  respect,  the  East  has  an 
importance  greater  than  that  of  the  West;  for  the 
East  is  the  country  of  the  first  generations  of  men. 

To  conclude  this  part  of  our  subject.  The  Mission¬ 
aries  of  this  day  find  by  experience  the  importance  of 
human  learning  in  the  present  circumstances  of  the 
world  ;  and  some  of  them,  by  painful  study  in  their 
old  age,  have  acquired  a  competent  degree  of  knowl¬ 
edge  while  resident  in  a  foreign  land. 

2.  We  now  come  to  the  second  point  of  inquiry? 


316 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


Whether  the  Christian  Missionary  ought  to  be  invest¬ 
ed  with  the  sacred  character,  before  he  leaves  our 
own  shores. 

To  preach  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  to  a  lost 
world,  is  the  most  honorable  office  that  can  be  assigned 
to  man.  The  office  of  Kings  and  Legislators  is  not  so 
exalted.  Angels  alone,  we  should  naturally  think,  are 
qualified  to  do  justice  to  the  heavenly  theme  ;  and  to 
appear  before  men  as  “  the  ambassadors  of  Christ.” 
Let  those,  therefore,  who  undertake  this  embassy,  be 
satisfied  that  they  are  called  to  it  of  God. 

We  have  already  seen  the  importance  of  human 
learning  for  the  preacher  of  the  Gospel.  It  is  no  less 
necessary  that  he  should  appear  before  the  nations  of 
the  East  in  a  character  of  sanctity  :  for  they  expect  that 
the  man  who  ministers  among  them  in  holy  things, 
should  be  recognized  by  his  own  countrymen  as  bear¬ 
ing  a  holy  character. 

It  is  proper,  then,  that  every  preacher  who  obtains 
from  our  own  Church  official  sanction  to  go  and 
baptize  the  nations,”  should  be  set  apart  to  the  Holy 
Office,  and  ordained  according  to  the  Order  of  the 
Church.  You  may  observe,  that  almost  all  societies 
of  Christians  ha\e  some  form  of  Ordination  ;  and,  so 
far,  they  recognize  the  office  of  the  Ministry  as  sacred. 
Nay  more,  they  confine  their  Missionaries  to  their 
own  ritual  or  creed ;  and  will  patronize  them  no 
longer  than  they  conform  to  it.  This  is  not,  indeed, 
the  Catholic  Charity  of  the  Gospel.  This  is  not  the 
character  of  the  true  light  which  shineth  on  all.  But 
this  partiality  appears  to  be  inseparable  from  the  vevy 
constitution  of  religious  bodies,  differing  in  form  from 
one  another.  It  may  be  called  the  Infirmity  of  the 
Visible  Church  of  Christ;  which  is  imperfect  and  mil¬ 
itant  here  on  earth.  This  advantage,  however,  results 
from  such  partiality,  that  more  interest  is  created  and 
more  energy  excited,  when  the  attention  is  confined  to 
the  operation  of  a  single  body  of  men.  At  this  very 
time,  some  societies  are  so  intent  on  their  own  work, 
that  they  do  not  well  know  what  the  rest  are  doing. 

But  the  Church  of  England  ought  to  shine  upon 
ALL.  Like  a  venerable  Nursing-Mother  of  the  Churcfi. 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


$17 


€t  Christ,  she  ought  to  contemplate  with  candor  and 
benignity  the  useful  exertions  of  the  several  Societies 
not  subject  to  her  jurisdiction,  notwithstanding  their 
differing  from  her,  and  from  one  another,  in  matters 
not  essential  to  salvation. 

But,  in  the  great  work  of  converting  the  Heathen 
vv  oild,  men  of  different  stations  and  offices  are  requir¬ 
ed.  At  the  first  promulgation  of  the  Gospel,  there 
wcie,  saith  the  Apostle,  “  some,  Evangelists  ;  and  some, 
Pastors  and  Teachers.”  There  were  also  what  he 
denominates  “  Helps  for  the  work  of  the  Ministry.” 
In  like  manner,  we  may  now  employ,  “some,”  Evan¬ 
gelists  and  Pastors  invested  with  the  sacred  character  ; 
and  some  Teachers  and  Catechists,  with  such  “  Helps” 
.  a  secular  kind  as  may  be  useful.  Such  subordinate 
instructors  may  be  sent  forth  to  commence  the  work  ; 
and,  in  process  of  time,  those  of  them  may  return  as 
candidates  lor  ordination,  who  shall  have  acquired  a 
knowledge  ol  the  foreign  language,  and  a  competent 
degree  ol  learning  for  the  sacred  office  ;  and  who  shall 
have  obtained  a  good  report  for  piety,  zeal,  diligence, 


To  this  object  we  would  now  particularly  direct  your 
attention.  I  can  report  to  you  from  my  own  observa- 

tv°nLrtliat  ^ie  mo.st  use^ul  and  necessary  labors  amono- 
the  Heathen,  during  the  first  years  of  Christian  Instruc- 
lion,  are  those  of  the  humble  Teacher  and  Catechist 
\Y  henever  then,  you  find  a  man  well  qualified  by  knowl¬ 
edge  and  piety  for  this  subordinate  office,  you  may  send 
him  forth  with  confidence,  in  his  secular  character,  as 
a  lit  instrument  of  light  in  a  dark  region. 

II  you  look  around,  you  may  observe  that  few  of  the 
RICH  or  learned  of  any  society  of  Christians,  however 
small,  and  however  zealous  to  diffuse  Christianity,  are 
disposed  to  go  forth  as  Missionaries.  And  it  is  true 
that,  it  the  rich  and  learned  did  go,  they  could  not  as¬ 
similate  with  the  poor  and  ignorant  among  the  Heathen 
so  easily  as  their  brethren  of  inferior  station.  They 
could  not  so  easily  associate  with  their  poverty,  or  tole 
rate  their  ignorance.  * 

If  then  you  cannot  find  rich  men  of  your  own  body 
to  go  forth  to  enlighten  the  world,  you  must  send  men 

c  c  2 


315 


THE  LIGHT  0?  THE  WORLD, 


of  humble  condition ;  and  if  you  cannot  engage  learn¬ 
ed  men,  you  must  send  men  of  inferior  attainments  : 
for  the  Gospel  must  be  “  preached  to  all  nations 
some  men  must  go  forth  to  be  “  the  Light  of  the 
World.”  Only  let  it  be  your  care  that  the  men  whom 
j-ou  do  send,  possess  the  dispositions  which  our  Lord 
hath  enjoined.  Let  them  be  “  Men  of  the  Beati¬ 
tudes.”  In  regard  to  learning,  they  will  acquire 
some  portion  of  it  in  a  foreign  land.  It  is  proper  to 
observe  that  a  Missionary  is  not  made  a  Missionary 
wholly  in  his  own  country  ;  but  in  the  country  of  his 
labors.  Learning  is  eventually  necessary  for  him  :  it 
is  indispensible  to  great  success  :  but  it  is  not  so  requi¬ 
site  st  his  first  entrance  on  his  employment.  The 
primary  qualifications  are  evangelic  fortitude,  zeal, 
humility,  self-denial,  prudence,  temperance  ;  to  which 
must  be  added,  assiduity  in  learning  a  new  language 
with  the  docility  of  a  child.  And,  in  the  period  of 
eight  or  ten  years,  whilst  that  language  is  acquiring, 
some  other  branches  of  useful  learning  may  be  success¬ 
fully  cultivated. 

This  opinion  on  the  means  of  forming  a  missionary, 
I  deliver  in  perfect  confidence  :  not  only  as  the  result 
of  my  own  observation  and  inquiry  ;  but  as  being  sanc¬ 
tioned  by  the  most  eminent  and  useful  preachers  in  the 
East,  during  the  last  century.* 

II.  We  now  proceed  to  consider  our  Second  Proposi¬ 
tion  :  that  if  you  be  instruments  of  the  true  Light, 

V,OU  WILL  BE  ZEALOUS  IN  ADOPTING  THE  MOST  EFFECT¬ 
UAL  MEANS  OF  DIFFUSING  IT. 

But,  perhaps,  it  may  be  expected,  that,  to  stimulate, 
your  exertions,  I  should  give  some  account  of  the  Dark¬ 
ness  which  exists  in  the  Heathen  World. 

I  have,  indeed,  seen  that  Darkness ;  but  it  is  not. 
easy  to  describe  it.  No  man  can  know  what  it  is,  who 
has  not  seen  it.  It  is  no  less  dreadful,  than  when  the 
Israelites  beheld,  at  a  distance,  the  thick  darkness  of 
Egypt  from  their  dwellings  “  in  Goshen,  where  there 
was  light.”  I  have  been  in  what  the  Scripture  calls 
44  the  Chambers  of  Imagery,”  Ezekiel  viii,  12,  and  have 
witnessed  the  enormity  of  the  Pagan  Idolatry  in  all  its 

*  Ziegenbalg,  Shultz,  Swartz,  and  Gyricke. 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WOULD, 


319 


turpitude  and  blood.  I  can  now  better  understand 
those  words  of  the  Scriptures,  “  the  dark  places  of  the 
earth  are  full  of  the  habitations  of  cruelty  ;”  Psalm 
Ixxiv,  20.  I  have  seen  the  libations  of  human  blood, 
offered  to  the  Moloch  of  the  Eastern  World;  and  an 
assembly,  not  of  two  thousand  only,  which  may  consti¬ 
tute  your  number,  but  of  two  hundred  thousand,  falling 
prostrate  at  the  sight  before  the  idol,  and  raising  accla¬ 
mations  to  his  name. 

But  the  particulars  of  these  scenes  cannot  be  rehear¬ 
sed  before  a  Christian  Assembly  ;  as  indeed  the  Scrip¬ 
tures  themselves  intimate  :  Eph.  v,  12.  It  may  suffice 
to  observe,  that  the  two  prominent  characters  of  idolatry 
are  the  same  which  the  Scriptures  describe;  Cruelty 
and  Lasciviousness  ;  Blood  and  Impurity.  It  is  already 
known  to  you  that  the  fountain-head  of  this  superstition 
in  India,  is  the  temple  of  Juggernaut :  and  it  will  give 
you  satisfaction  to  hear  that  the  Gospels  have  been  re¬ 
cently  translated  into  the  language  of  Juggernaut.  The 
Christian  World  is  indebted  to  the  labors  of  the  Mission¬ 
aries  of  the  Baptist  Society  in  India,  for  this  important 
service. 

But  there  is  a  moral  darkness  in  the  East,  of  a  differ¬ 
ent  character  from  that  of  Paganism,  I  mean  the  dark¬ 
ness  of  the  Romish  Superstition  in  Pagan  Lands.  Up¬ 
wards  of  two  centuries  ago,  Papal  Rome  established 
her  Inquisition  in  India,  and  it  is  still  in  operation.  By 
this  tribunal,  the  power  of  the  Romish  Church  was  con¬ 
solidated  in  that  hemisphere.  From  Goa,  as  a  centre, 
issue  the  orders  of  the  Santa  Casa, or  Holy  Office,  to  al¬ 
most  every  nation  of  the  East ;  to  the  western  coast  of 
Africa,  where  there  are  many  Romish  churches  ;  and 
thence  to  their  settlements  along  the  shores  of  the  con¬ 
tinent  of  Asia,  as  far  as  China  and  the  Philippine  Isles. 
Ships  of  w  ar  and  ships  of  commerce  have  ever  been  un¬ 
der  its  command  ;  for  the  Vice-Roy  of  Goa  himself  is 
subject  to  its  jurisdiction  :  and  these  ships  afford  the 
means  of  transmitting  orders  to  all  countries,  of  send¬ 
ing  forth  priests,  and  sometimes  of  bringing  back  vic¬ 
tims. 

Besides  the  spiritual  tyranny  of  the  Inquisition, 
there  exists,  in  certain  provinces,  a  corruption  of  Chris- 


S20 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


tian  Doctrine  more  heinous  than  can  easily  be  credited. 
In  some  places,  the  Ceremonies  and  Rites  of  Moloch 
are  blended  with  the  Worship  of  Christ !  This  specta¬ 
cle  I  myself  have  witnessed  at  Aughoor,  near  Madura, 
in  the  south  of  India.  The  chief  source  of  the  enor¬ 
mity  is  this  :  The  Inquisition  would  not  give  the  Bible 
to  the  people.  In  some  provinces  I  found  that  the 
Scriptures  were  not  known  to  the  common  people, 
even  by  name  ;  and  some  of  the  priests  themselves  as¬ 
sured  me  that  they  had  never  seen  them. 

But  the  era  of  light  seems  to  have  arrived,  even  to 
this  dark  region  ;  fora  translation  of  the  Scriptures  has 
been  prepared  for  it.  This  version  has  been  recently 
made  by  the  Bishop  of  the  ancient  Syrian  Chris¬ 
tians  ;  and  I  have  the  satisfaction  to  announce  to  you 
that  a  part  of  it  hath  been  already  published.  It  has 
been  printed  at  Bombay,  by  the  aid  of  the  funds,  to 
the  augmentation  of  which  the  Society  has  recently 
contributed. 

This  translation  is  in  the  Malayalim  Tongue,  some 
times  called  the  Malabar :  which  is  spoken  not  only 
by  the  ITndoos  of  Malabar,  Travancore,  and  Cochin; 
but  by  upwards  of  three  hundred  thousand  Christians 
in  these  provinces:  some  of  them  belonging  to  the  an¬ 
cient  Syrian  Church,  and  some  of  them  to  the  Romish 
Church  ;  and  who  will  all,  as  we  have  been  informed, 
gladly  receive  the  Word  of  God,  both  priests  and 
people. 

Another  remarkable  event  hath  concurred  to  favor 
the  design.  The  Italian  Bishop  of  chief  eminence  in 
those  parts,  who  presides  over  the  college  of  Verapoli, 
which  has  been  established  for  the  Students  of  the 
Romish  Church,  has  denied  the  authority  of  the  In¬ 
quisition  ;  and  has  acceded  to  the  design  of  giving  the 
Holy  Scriptures  to  the  people.  I  myself  received  from 
him  the  assurance  of  his  determination  to  this  effect,  in 
the  presence  of  the  British  President  in  Travancore. 
So  that  the  version  executed  by  the  Syrian  Bishop, 
whom  Rome  has  ever  accounted  her  enemy  in  the 
East,  will  be  given  to  the  Romish  Church.  Thus,  after 
a  strife  of  three  hundred  years,  doth  “  the  Wolf  lie  down 
with  the  Lamb  j”  and  the  Lion,  changing  his  nature. 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


321 


begins  to  “eat  straw  like  the  Ox,”  Isaiah  xi.  7.  And 
it  is  for  the  support  of  this  work,  in  particular,  that  we 
would  solicit  your  liberality  on  this  day.  It  is  for 
the  translation  of  the  Bible  into  a  new  language,  which 
is  not  only  vernacular  to  Hindoos  and  Mahomedans, 
but  is  the  language  of  a  nation  of  Christians ,  who 
never  saw  the  Bible ;  and  whose  minds  are  already 
disposed  to  read  the  book  which  gives  an  account  of 
their  own  religion. 

Thus  much  of  the  Darkness  which  pervades  Heathen 
Lands.  We  shall  now  advert  to  the  means  of  impart¬ 
ing  light  to  them. 

The  time  seems  to  have  arrived,  when  more  effectual 
measures  ought  to  be  adopted  for  the  promulgation  of 
Christianity,  than  have  hitherto  been  employed.  It  is 
now  expedient  to  open  a  more  direct  and  regular  com¬ 
munication  with  our  Missionaries  in  foreign  countries. 
It  is  not  enough  that  there  be  ample  contributions  at 
home,  and  that  we  meet  in  large  assemblies  to  hear  and 
to  approve  ;  but  there  must  be  greater  personal  activity, 
and  a  more  frequent  intercourse  with  the  scene  abroad. 

Let  ships  be  prepared  to  carry  the  glad  ti¬ 
dings  of  the  Gospel  to  remote  nations. 

The  auspicious  circumstances  of  the  present  time, 
and  the  blessing  that  hath  hitherto  evidently  attended 
the  labors  of  the  general  body  of  Missionaries,  seem 
to  justify  the  adoption  of  these  means.  There  is  no¬ 
thing  new  in  the  proposal,  if  it  be  not,  that  it  is  new  to 
■us.  You  have  seen  with  what  facility  the  Romish 
Church  can  open  a  communication  with  distant  na¬ 
tions,  by  ships  of  war  and  commerce.  You  see  with 
what  facility  commercial  men  at  home  can  open  a 
communication  with  remote  regions,  at  a  very  small 
expense,  sometimes  merely  on  speculation  ;  and,  if  they 
do  not  succeed  in  one  country,  they  go  to  another. 
“  The  children  of  this  world  are  wiser  in  their  genera¬ 
tion  than  the  children  of  light.”  Let  us  follow  their 
example  in  conducting  the  commerce  of  knowledge. 
Let  societies,  let  individuals,  according  to  their  ability, 
charter  ships  for  this  very  purpose.  Much  of  the  ex¬ 
pense  may  be  defrayed  by  judicious  plans  of  commerce. 


322 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


But  let  the  chief  and  avowed  object  be,  a  the  mer¬ 
chandize  of  the  Gospel.” 

In  support  of  the  perfect  expedience  of  this  measure, 
we  shall  submit  to  you  the  following  considerations : 

1.  A  chief  obstacle  to  persons  proceeding  as  Mis¬ 
sionaries  to  remote  regions,  is  the  want  of  conveyance. 
Were  a  facility  afforded  in  this  respect,  many  individ¬ 
uals  and  families  would  offer  themselves  for  the  work, 
who  would  not  otherwise  ever  think  seriously  on  the 
subject.  Experience  has  shewn  how  difficult  it  is  to 
procure  a  passage,  in  a  commercial  ship,  for  a  religious 
family  of  humble  condition.  Nor  is  it  proper  that  a 
family  of  pure  manners,  who  never  heal’d  the  holy 
name  of  God  profaned  in  their  own  houses,  should  be 
exposed,  during  some  months,  to  the  contaminating  in¬ 
fluence  of  that  offensive  Language,  which  is  too  often 
permitted  on  board  ships  of  war  and  commerce  belong¬ 
ing  to  the  English  Nation. 

2.  The  success  of  a  Mission  abroad  depends  much 
on  frequent  correspondence  with  the  patrons  at 
home.  By  this  communication  the  interest  and  repu¬ 
tation  of  the  Missionaries  are  better  supported,  at  their 
respective  places  of  residence.  And  they  always  need 
this  support ;  for,  in  every  place,  they  are  exposed  to 
some  degree  of  persecution. 

3.  The  Missionaries  need  regular  supplies,  for  their 
comfortable  subsistence,  and  for  the  prosecution  of 
their  work.  The  want  of  subsistence  is  more  frequent 
in  certain  climates,  than  is  generally  supposed.  And 
the  regular  transmission  of  such  supplies  as  are  con¬ 
nected  with  the  prosecution  of  their  proper  work  is 
indispensible.  The  object  of  the  Missionaries,  in  the 
East  in  particular,  is  to  print  and  publish  the  Holy 
Scriptures  ;  and  a  fresh  supply  of  the  several  materials, 
essential  to  the  further  prosecution  of  this  purpose,  is 
required  every  year. 

In  the  first  promulgation  of  the  Gospel,  the  preachers 
were  endowed  with  “  the  Gift  of  Tongues  and  thus 
they  may  be  said  to  have  carried  about  with  them  the 
instruments  of  conversion.  In  its  present  promulga¬ 
tion,  the  Providence  of  God  hath  ordained  the  Gift  of 
the  Scriptures;  and  the  materials  for  printing  these 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


Scriptures  must  be  sent  out  to  the  preachers.  There 
is  likewise  this  further  preparation  by  the  same  Provi¬ 
dence  ;  that  most  of  the  languages  of  the  East  have 
become,  in  the  course  of  ages,  written  languages.  As 
the  art  of  printing  extended  the  knowledge  of  the  Gos¬ 
pel  to  our  own  country,  at  the  Reformation  ;  so  the  art 
of  printing  must  now  convey  it  to  the  other  nations  of 
the  world. 

It  may  be  also  observed,  that,  if  the  means  of  con¬ 
veyance  were  at  our  command,  many  works  in  the 
Eastern  Languages,  might  be  printed  with  more  ex¬ 
pedition,  and  at  less  expense,  at  home,  than  abroad. 

4.  A  further  and  a  very  important  consideration  is 
this.  It  is  proper  that  a  Missionary  should  have  an 
opportunity  of  returning  to  liis  native  country,  when 
ill  health  or  the  affairs  of  his  family  may  require  it. 
When  he  goes  out  as  a  Missionary,  we  are  not  to  un¬ 
derstand  that  he  goes  necessarily  into  a  state  of  banish¬ 
ment.  It  is  proper  indeed  that  he  should  go  forth  with 
the  spirit  of  one,  who  “  hath  left  father  and  mother  for 
the  Gospel’s  sake  but  men  in  general  have  duties  to 
discharge  ^  to  their  parents,  to  their  children,  and  to 
their  relations  of  consanguinity ;  duties  sometimes  of 
a  spiritual  nature.  We  do  not  read  that  St.  Paul  wen 
forth  to  his  work  as  an  exile.  On  the  contrary,  we 
know  that  he  returned  home,  at  least  fora  time,  and 
kept  up  a  personal  correspondence  with  Jerusalem.  In 
like  manner,  many  of  the  preachers  who  are  now  abroad, 
suffering  in  health,  and  sinking  under  the  pressure  of 
an  enervating  climate,  if  they  had  the  means  of  convey¬ 
ance,  would  be  glad  to  revisit  their  Jerusalem  ;  that 
they  might  return  again  to  their  labors  with  renewed 
strength  and  spirits. 

It  may  be  further  observed,  that  the  communications 
of  such  persons  would  be  very  valuable  to  the  Church 
at  home.  This  may  be  exemplified  in  the  instance  of 
the  worthy  clergyman  of  New  South  Wales  ;  who  late¬ 
ly  visited  England  :*  and  whose  communications  were 
not  only  serviceable  to  the  general  interests  of  religion  • 
but  were,  in  many  respects,  very  acceptable  to  the  Bri¬ 
tish  government. 

*  The  Kev.  Mr.  Marsden. 


324 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


5.  The  last  advantage  which  we  shall  mention,  is 
that  of  Visitation,  by  men  of  learning,  prudence,  and 
piety :  who  would  make  a  voyage  with  no  intention 
of  remaining ;  but,  induced  partly  by  considerations  of 
health,  and  partly  by  motives  of  public  service  to  the 
Church,  would  visit  their  brethren  in  distant  lands,  to 
inform  themselves  fully  of  their  state  and  progress,  to 
animate  and  exhort  them,  and  to  report  to  their  res¬ 
pective  societies  concerning  new  plans  of  usefulness. 
As  there  ought  to  be  no  jealousy  among  men  promot¬ 
ing  the  same  object,  the  same  ship  might,  in  her  voy¬ 
age,  visit  all  the  stations  in  her  way,  render  every  grate¬ 
ful  service,  communicate  with  all,  afford  supplies  to  all. 
There  are,  at  this  time,  upwards  of  thirty  different 
places  where  Missionaries  are  preaching  in  foreign 
lands.  If  but  a  single  ship  were  employed  for  the  gen¬ 
eral  use  of  all  the  societies,  it  might  be  an  auspicious 
beginning. 

In  adopting  means  for  regular  communication  with 
our  Missionaries,  we  have  the  example  of  two  of  the 
oldest  societies:  the  “  Society  for  promoting  Christian 
Knowledge,”  and  the  Society  of  the  u  United  Brethren.” 
The  former  sends  out  an  investment  to  their  Mission¬ 
aries  in  India,  regularly  every  year  ;  and  has  so  done 
for  a  century  past.  These  supplies  consist  not  only  of 
books,  stationary,  and  materials  for  printing ;  but  they 
include  articles  of  household  economy,  and  for  female 
use,  which  are  forwarded,  under  the  name  of  presents) 
to  the  families  of  the  Missionaries. 

The  Reverend  Mr.  Kohloff,  the  worthy  successor  of 
Swartz,  assured  me,  that  he  considered  the  well-being 
of  that  Mission,  during  so  long  a  period,  to  have  been 
much  promoted  by  this  parental  and  affectionate  in¬ 
tercourse.  The  u  Society  for  promoting  Christian 
Knowledge”  have  no  ship  of  their  own  ;  but  they  are 
favored  with  the  necessary  freight  every  year  in  the 
ships  of  the  East-India  Company.  Let  us  then  imitate 
the  example  of  this  Venerable  Society,  which,  in  regard 
to  the  support  of  Missions,  and  the  translation  of  the 
Scriptures,  is  “  the  mother  of  us  all.” 

But  the  strongest  recommendation  of  the  measure 
which  I  propose  to  you,  is  the  successful  example  of 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


525 


M.e  «  United  Brethren.”  That  Episcopal  Body  has 
had  a  ship  during  a  period  of  more  than  fifty  years, 
chartered  for  the  sole  purpose  of  carrying  the  Gospel 
to  Labrador,  and  other  foreign  lands.  The  ships  Har¬ 
mony  and  Resolution  have  been  employed  in  this  impor¬ 
tant  service  ;  a  service  far  more  honorable  than  any  that 
has  ever  been  atchieved  by  any  ship  of  war,  commerce, 
or  discovery.  ’ 

Nor  ought  we  to  omit,  on  this  occasion,  to  make 
honorable  mention  of  the  liberal  plans  of  the  “  London 
Iissionary  Society.”  The  first  operation  of  that  body, 
in  sending  forth,  at  once,  a  “  great  company  of  preacn- 
eis,  displayed  a  noble  spirit  of  zeal  and  unanimity; 
and  manifested  a  laudable  and  well-grounded  confil 
dence  in  the  intimate  success  of  the  great  design.  The 

bee?13  °  r;bat  ?hrist,ian  Expedition  have  not,  perhaps, 
been  sufficiently  acknowledged  at  home.  But  the 
sending  forth  a  ship  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  at  that  day, 
was  a  great  event  in  the  history  of  the  Gospel  ;  and 
wiH  no  doubt  be  recorded  in  the  books  of  the^ieatheu 
V  v  orld  m  ages  to  come.* 

mary  I,ead  yOUr  thouShts  to  the  serious  con- 
SP  n  °f  .the  measurc  which  I  have  proposed,  I 
shall  now  recite  to  you  a  prediction  of  the  prophet 
Isaiah,  and  the  interpretation  of  it  by  the  Jews  of  the 

chSer  nf  °TPh-eC,y  t0TW,3licI?  1  a,lude  is  ™  thexviiith 

chapter  of  Isaiah.  It  begins  in  our  Translation  with 

translated^  Oi  the  land bu'"  ought  to  be 

.-csnect  “  O  K,-  “ffeotiM,  and 


™h  wWchii 


u  11  .  vv i Lii  vvino'S,  which  i<* 

dSsb'v  thee-VerS  of  sendeth  ambassa- 

dors  b/  the  sea,  even  in  vessels  of  bulrushes  upon  the 


*  Our  approbation  here  refers  not  to  the  Mace  selector! 
first  mission,  but  to  the  spirit  which  seni  it  fbr, h  r,  f 

rVie 

regular  government,  is  indeed  the  most  suitable  Pm  a  -Vtd 
government  will  not  always  receive  a  mission  nf„i  i  ular 
several  examples.  BesidL  th/ZpeUs  IT S' '  '£? 

dirdosp”  livery 'agekS  ‘  “**  *"*"  <“«  »««*  ^edie'at 

D  d 


326 


TUB  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


waters,  satin  g,  Go,  ye  swift  messengers,  to  a  nation 
scattered  and  peeled,  to  a  people  terrible  from  their 
beginning  hitherto  :”  and  concludes  with  these  words  : 
“  In  that  time  shall  the  present  be  brought  unto  the 
Lord  of  Hosts  of  a  people  scattered  and  peeled,  to  the 
place  of  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  Mount 
Zion.” 

This  prophecy,  which  had  been  considered  by  some 
of  the  learned  in  this  country,  and  first,  I  believe,  by 
the  late  Bishop  Horsley,  as  referring  to  these  times,  I 
proposed  to  the  Jews  in  the  East ;  who,  after  some  de¬ 
liberation,  gave  me  the  following  explanation  : 

“  The  prophecy  in  this  chapter  relates  to  the  restora¬ 
tion  of  the  Jews  to  their  own  country.  The  nation 
here  addressed,  by  a  kind  compellation,  ‘  O  thou  land,’ 
was  to  send  a  message  to  the  Jewish  People  ;  and  this 
was  to  be  a  message  of  kindness.” 

I  then  desired  they  would  describe  the  character  of 
the  nation,  which  was  to  send  a  message  of  kindness 
to  the  Jewish  People,  according  to  the  prophecy. 
They  stated  these  four  particulars  concerning  it. 

1.  That  the  place  of  the  nation  was  beyond  the  riv¬ 
ers  of  Cush,  that  is,  to  the  west  of  the  Nile  ;  for  the 
prophet  was  on  the  east  of  the  Nile  when  he  delivered 
his  prophecy. 

2.  That  it  was  a  land  “  shadowing  with  wings;” 
which  signifies  that  it  should  be  of  great  extent  and 
powei*,  and  capable  of  giving  protection. 

3.  That  it  was  a  Maritime  Nation  “  sending  ambas¬ 
sadors  by  sea  in  vessels  of  bulrushes  :”a  figure  for  light 
ships,  not  burthened  with  commerce,  but  light  for  des¬ 
patch  ;  carrying  merely  the  tidings  of  gladness: 
and  that  the  ambassadors  sent  in  them  were  messen¬ 
gers  of  peace.  When  I  expressed  some  doubt  as  to 
the  character  of  these  Ambassadors,  we  referred  to  the 
old  Arabic  Translation  of  Isaiah,  which  happened  to 
be  at  hand ;  where  the  word  for  Ambassadors  is  ren¬ 
dered  Prophets  or  Preachers. 

4.  That  the  issue  of  this  embassy  would  be  the  re¬ 
storation  of  “  the  people  scattered  and  peeled  to  the 
Lord  of  Hosts  in  Zion  :”  and  that,  at  the  period  when 
this  should  take  place,  there  would  be  a  shaking  of 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


the 'nations  ;  for  it  is  said,  in  the  third  verse,  that  God 
“  would  lift  up  his  ensign  on  the  mountains,  that  all 
might  see  :  and  blow  his  trumpet,  that  all  the  inhabi¬ 
tants  of  the  earth  might  hear.” 

When  I  endeavored  to  shew  that  all  these  charac¬ 
ters  centered  in  Great  Britain,  and  that  she  was  actu¬ 
ally  sending  forth  messengers  at  this  time  to  all  na¬ 
tions,  the  Jews  were  alarmed  at  their  own  interpreta¬ 
tion,  and  began  to  qualify  some  parts  of  it.  I  then 
demanded  what  they  really  believed  to  be  intended  by 
the  mission  of  these  “  ambassadors.”  They  answer¬ 
ed,  that  they  understood  the  embassy  in  a  political 
sense  only ;  and  that  the  nation  spoken  of  was  merely 
to  afford  its  aid  to  restore  them  to  their  temporal  king¬ 
dom.  1  b 

But,  whether  the  prophecy  have  a  temporal  or  a 
spiritual  sense,  I  submit  to  your  judgment,  and  not 
to  that  of  the  Jews  in  the  East. 

Let  us  then,  my  Brethren,  obey  the  Prophetic  man¬ 
date,  and  “  send  forth  ambassadors  in  light  ships;  say- 
mg,  Go,  ye  swift  messengers,  to  a  nation  scattered  and 
peeled,”  dispersed  in  all  lands  :■  “  to  a  people  terrible 
irorn  their  beginning  hitherto.”  For  from  the  time 
since  they  came  forth  from  Egypt,  accompanied  by 
signs  and  wonders,  they  have  been  a  terror  and  a 
wonder  to  all.  Send  ye  ambassadors  “  to  a  nation  ex¬ 
pecting  and  looking  out”  for  the  Messiah,  who  is  also 
the  desire  of  other  nations ;  and  announce  ye  to  all, 
i  hat  the  “  Desire  of  ALL  nations  is  come,”  Hag.  ii, 

7: ,  “  L.lft  y?  UP  the  ensign  upon  the  mountains,  that 
all  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  may  see  ;  and  blow  ye 
the  trumpet,”  the  Great  Trumpet  of  the  World’s  Ju¬ 
bilee,  “  that  all  the  dwellers  on  the  earth  may  hear.” 

Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world.”  Let  not  your  light 
be  confined  to  this  spot,  in  a  northern  region.  Put 
away  the  reproach,  that  ye  are  known  out  of  your  coun¬ 
try,  merely  as  a  Commercial  People.  Even  as  a  Com¬ 
mercial  People,  you  are,  at  this  moment,  shut  out  of 
the  countries  of  Europe.  Obey  then  the  present  prov¬ 
idence,  and  resort  to  the  ports  of  distant  lands  ;  carry¬ 
ing  the  message  of  kindness  to  a  people  who  “  stretch 


323 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WOULD. 


forth  their  hands,”  and  will  receive  your  commerce, 
and  the  Gospel  together. 

It  is  not  your  duty  to  wait  till  the  nation  send  forth 
messengers  at  the  public  expense.  Perhaps  that  period 
may  never  come.  It  may  be,  that  our  Church  know- 
eth  not  how  to  promote  such  an  object,  but  by  the  in¬ 
strumentality  of  subordinate  societies  :  even  as  the 
State  sometimes  administers  the  government  of  a  re¬ 
mote  branch  of  the  empire  by  the  same  means.  Two 
Societies  were  instituted  about  a  hundred  years  ago; 
but  the  period  for  great  and  successful  exertion  was 
evidently  not  then  come.  You  are  a  Third  Society, 
established  in  more  auspicious  times;  and  others  may 
follow. 

It  is  not  your  duty,  I  say,  to  wait  till  the  Nation,  in 
its  public  capacity,  begin  to  send  forth  preachers  to 
the  Gentiles.  If  that  event  should  ever  arrive,  you 
prepare  the  way.  If  Individuals  did  not  begin,  the 
Universal  Church  would  not  follow.  What  measure 
of  great  public  utility  was  ever  executed  by  Church  or 
State,  which  was  not  first  proposed  by  Individuals  ? 
which  was  not  first  resisted  by  the  greater  body  ;  and, 
perhaps,  defeated  for  a  time  ? 

Consider,  finally,  the  example  of  the  Great  Author 
of  our  Religion.  Draw  your  light  from  Christ.  At 
the  first  promulgation  of  his  Gospel  to  the  Heathen 
World,  he  gave  his  commission  to  individuals.  Dur¬ 
ing  three  hundred  years,  the  Ministry  of  the  Gospel 
was  committed  to  individuals  :  I  mean  they  were  not 
associated  by  any  authority  of  temporal  empire  :  and 
by  them  the  conversion  of  the  nations  was  eftected,  un¬ 
der  the  direction  of  their  respective  Churches  in  Rome, 
Corinth,  Alexandria,  Antioch,  and  Jerusalem.  It  may 
be  the  Divine  will  that  the  promulgation  of  the  Gospel 
at  this  time  should  be  effected  partly  by  the  same 
means. 

Your  object  and  that  of  the  Bible  Society  is  the  same. 
It  is,  to  give  the  Bible  to  the  World.  But,  as  that  Sa¬ 
cred  Volume  cannot  be  given  to  men  of  different  nations 
until  it  be  translated  into  their  respective  languages,  it 
is  the  province  of  your  Institution  to  send  forth  proper 
instruments  for  this  purpose.  Your  Society  is  confined 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


329 


to  Members  of  the  Established  Church.  You  do  not 
interfere  with  the  “  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  in  F oreign  Parts,"  nor  with  that  “  for  Promoting 
Chiistian  Knowledge  for  neither  of  these  professes 
the  piecise  objects  to  which  you  would  confine  your~ 
selves.  It  does  not  seem  to  be  possible  to  frame  an  ob¬ 
jection  to  your  establishment.  When  the  design  and 
the  proceedings  of  your  Institution  shall  have  been  fully 
made  known,  you  may  expect  the  support  of  the  Epis¬ 
copal  Body,  of  the  two  Universities,  and  of  every  zeal¬ 
ous  Member  of  the  Church  of  England. 

It  has  been  objected  to  that  Noble  Institution  to 
which  we  have  alluded,  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society,  that  it  is  in  its  character  universal;  that  it 
embi  aces  all,  and  acknowledges  no  cast  in  the  Chris¬ 
tian  Religion :  and  it  has  been  insinuated,  that  we 
ought  ^not  to  be  zealous  even  for  the  extension  of 
Christ  s  Kingdom,  if  we  must  associate,  in  any  degree, 
with  men  of  all  denominations.  But,  surely,  there  is 
an  error  in  this  judgment.  We  seek  the  aid  of  all  de- 
scuptions  of  men  in  defending  our  country  against  the 
enemy.  We  love  to  see  men  of  all  descriptions  shew¬ 
ing  their  allegiance  to  the  King.  Was  it  ever  said  to 
a  poor  man,  “  You  are  not  qualified  to  shew  your  al¬ 
legiance  to  the  King  ?  You  must  not  cast  your  mite  in¬ 
to  the  treasury  of  your  King.’*  My  Brethren,  let  every 
man,  who  opposes  these  institutions,  examine  his  own 
heart  whether  he  be  true  in  his  allegiance  to  “  the  Kins' 
Of  kings.”  ’  b 

For  myself,  I  hail  the  present  unanimity  ot  hither¬ 
to  discordant  bands,  as  a  great  event  in  the  Church  • 
and  as  marking  a  grand  character  of  Christ’s  promis¬ 
ed  kingdom ;  when  “  the  leopard  shall  lie  down  with 
the  kid  ;  and  the  calf,  and  the  young  lion,  and  the 
lading  together,  and  a  little  child  shall  lead  them,” 
Isaiah  xi,  6.  I  consider  the  extension  and  unity  of 
the  Bible  Society  as  the  best  pledge  of  the  continu¬ 
ance  of  the  Divine  mercy  to  this  land  ;  and  I  doubt 
not,  the  time  will  come  when  the  nation  will  reckon 
that  Society  a  greater  honor  to  her,  as  a  Christian 

People,  than  any  other  institution  of  which  she  can 
boast. 


3  d  2 


330 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD, 


We  shall  now  conclude  this  discourse  with  stating  to 
you  the  cause  why  so  few  comparatively  co-operate  in 
these  sacred  designs.  Many,  it  is  probable,  are  ignor¬ 
ant  of  their  existence  :  some  may  be  supposed,  without 
any  culpable  motives,  to  question  their  exfiedicncy  :  but 
the  greater  part,  it  is  feared,  are  restrained  by  a  state 
of  mind  which  we  cannot  sufficiently  condemn  and 
deplore.  It  is  not  because  they  do  not  believe  in 
Christianity,  generally  ;  but  because  they  are  strangers 
to  Christ’s  spiritual  religion.  They  have  seen  the  light 
of  civilization,  but  they  have  not  seen  the  “  Light  of 
Life  and  this  is  the  great  and  important  distinction 
on  which  the  happiness  of  the  soul  depends.  This 
was  the  great  distinction  in  the  time  of  the  Apostle 
Paul ;  for  even  in  the  day  of  his  ministration,  the  Gos¬ 
pel  was  hid  from  some.  “If  our  Gospel  be  HiD,”saith 
he,  “it  is  hid  to  them  that  are  lost,”  2  Cor.  iv,  3.  If 
then  the  light  was  hid  from  some  when  he  preached, 
with  a  divine  energy,  and  with  the  demonstration  of 
miracles,  shall  we  wonder  that  it  is  hid  from  some  in 
our  day  ? 

There  is  nothing,  my  Brethren,  worth  living  for,  of 
equal  importance  with  the  diffusion  of  this  light.  We 
must  all  meet  again  at  a  future  day,  in  a  larger  Assem¬ 
bly  than  the  present,  when  we  shall  behold  HIM  who 
hath  said,  “  I  am  the  light  of  the  world.”  Let  every 
one  of  us,  then,  “  beau  witness  to  the  light by  con¬ 
tributing,  according  to  his  ability,  to  its  extension 
throughout  the  world  :  If  the  Christian  Revelation  be 
from  God,  to  give  that  Revelation  to  the  heathen  world 
is  the  first  duty  of  a  Christian  nation.  If  there  be  a 
majority  of  our  nation  who  do  not  acknowledge  this 
duty,  the  case  is  not  different  from  what  it  ever  hath 
been.  When  the  Apostle  Paul  went  forth  to  evangel¬ 
ize  the  world,  men  accounted  him  to  be  “  beside  him¬ 
self.”  Now  we  have  stronger  encouragement  to  at¬ 
tempt  the  conversion  of  the  heathen  world  at  this  day, 
than  the  Apostle  had,  in  the  first  age  ;  for  we  have  seen 
that  their  conversion  is  practicable.  We  only  med¬ 
itate  to  do  that  a  second  time  which  hath  been  once 
done  already.  And  we  know  that  the  same  Divine 
Spirit  which  was  with  him,  “  will  abide  in  the  world 


THE  LIGHT  0E  THE  WORLD.  331 

for  ever.”  Men  were  not  converted  then  merely,  by 
the  sight  of  a  miracle:  but  by  the  Grace  of  God.  And 
the  same  Grace  is  promised  to  us. 

But  there  is  another  consideration.  Do  we  not  hear 
the  command  of  Christ  ?  “  Go  ye  and  teach  all  nations.” 
If  we  are  sure  that  this  is  Christ  who  speaketh  to  us, 
let  us  not  “  confer  with  flesh  and  blood.”  If  there  be 
any  man  who  is  swayed  by  the  opinion  of  the  multitude, 
he  “  is  not  worthy”  of  Christ.  “  He  that  taketh  not 
his  cross  and  followeth  after  me,  saith  our  Lord,  is  not 
worthy  of  me  :  and  he  that  loveth  father  or  mother 
more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me.”  No  man  can  fol¬ 
low  Christ  in  the  sense  here  L. tended,  who  cannot  fol¬ 
low  the  example  of  Enoch  and  Noah  and  believe  God 
and  not  man.  Let  us  therefore  press  forward  in  faith, 
and  “  serve  God  in  our  generation,”  contented  to  do  a 
little,  where  much  cannot  be  done.  Some  of  the  dis¬ 
ciples  ol  our  Lord  whom  he  addressed  as  “  the  Light 
of  the  World,”  left  the  world  very  shortly  afterwards  :* 
but,  like  John  the  Baptist,  whose  race  was  also  short, 
they  shone  as  “  burning  lights”  during  their  appointed 
season.  Sa  let  us  shine. 

Yet  a  little  while  and  “  the  Son  of  Man  shall  come 
in  his  glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels  with  him  ;  and  be¬ 
fore  him  shall  be  gathered  all  nations.”  Then  shall 
the  adversaries  of  the  truth  be  abashed  and  confounded, 
when  they  shall  hear  him  say  to  “  the  Redeemed  out 
of  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people,  and  nation,” 
(some  ol  whom  they  had  said  could  never  believe  in 
Christ)  COME,  YE  BLESSED  !  Then  shall  they 
strike  their  breasts  and  say,  ‘  Destroyers  of  our  own 
souls  !  we  could  not  believe  the  word  of  God.  But  our 
doom  is  just.  We  believed  Satan  and  promoted  his 
designs,  and  labored  for  his  glory  :  and  we  opposed  the 
work  ol  God,  and  obstructed  the  Gospel  of  Christ 
and  ruined  the  souls  of  men.  Our  condemnation  is 
just ;  and  now  we  must  go  with  the  “  Prince  of  Dark¬ 
ness”  whom  we  served  upon  earth  :  and  now  we  must 
hear  the  terrible  sentence,  “  Depart  ye  cursed  into  ev¬ 
erlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  Devil  and  his  angels,” 
Matt,  xxv,  41. 


*  Stephen  and  James. 


332 


THE  LIGHT  OF  THE  WORLD. 


My  Brethren,  “  Heaven  and  Earth  shall  pass  away ; 
but  the  words  of  Christ  shall  not  pass  away,”  Matt, 
xxiv,  35. 

Let  us  then  with  true  affection  for  the  souls  of  our 
brethren,  earnestly  supplicate  a  merciful  God  who 
willeth  not  the  death  of  a  sinner,  that  he  would  send 
forth  his  Light  and  his  Truth  to  convert  their  hearts 
and  enlighten  their  understandings,  in  this  their  day  of 
life  and  hope  ;  that  so  they  may  unite  with  his  people, 
in  endeavoring  to  do  his  will  on  earth,  as  it  is  in  heav¬ 
en;  “  teaching  all  nations  to  observe  all  things  whatso¬ 
ever  Christ  hath  commanded  us,”  Matt,  xxviii,  20. 

And  now,  with  one  voice,  and  with  true  faith  let  us 
ascribe  to  God  the  Father  who  loved  us  before  the 
world  was  :  and  to  God  the  Son  who  redeemed  us  by 
his  blood  ;  and  to  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  hath 
sanctified  us  and  “  made  us  meet  to  be  partakers  of  the 
inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light,”  all  blessing,  and  hon¬ 
or,  and  glory,  and  power,  for  ever  and  ever.  Amen. 


SERMON  III. 


(MORNING.) 

Gen.  i,  3.  Let  there  be  Light. 

“In  the  beginning,  GOD  created  the  heavens  and 
the  earth.  And  the  earth  was  without  form  and  void, 
and  darkness  was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep.  And 
God  said,  Let  there  be  Light :  and  there  was  Light.” 
In  these  first  words  of  Revelation  we  read  how  God 
gave  light  to,  the  natural  world.  But  he  is  also  the 
author  of  spiritual  light ;  and  by  the  same  almighty 
Fiat,  he  dispelled  the  darkness  of  the  moral  world. 
For,  “  when  the  fulness  of  time  was  come,  God  sent 
forth  his  Son,”  who  is  “  the  brightness  of  his  glory,  and 
the  express  image  of  his  person  and  he  said  unto  the 
Church,  which  was  to  be  illuminated  by  him,  “  Arise, 
shine,  for  thy  light  is  come  Is.  lx,  1,  and  “  the  peo¬ 
ple  which  sat  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of  death, 
saw  a  great  Light,”  Matt,  iv,  16. 

Now  the  Scriptures  mark  a  certain  analogy  between 
the  creation  of  natural  and  of  spiritual  light ;  and  shew 
that  both  are  produced  by  an  exertion  of  the  same 
Almighty  power.  “  For  God,  who  commanded  the 
light  to  shine  out  of  darkness,  hath  shined  in  our 
hearts,  to  give  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory 
of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ,”  2  Cor.  iv,  6. 

Under  the  authority  of  this  analogy  we  may  be  per¬ 
mitted  to  inquire,  which  is  the  grandest  display  of  the 
Divine  power,  the  creation  of  natural  or  of  spiritual 
light  ?  the  production  of  the  sun,  which  shines  in  the  fir¬ 
mament,  or  spiritual  illumination  by  him,  who  is  called 
i(  the  Sun  of  Righteousness :”  connected  as  it  is  with 
those  stupendous  events  in  heaven  and  earth,  “  which 
angels  desire  to  look  into  j”  the  incarnation  of  the  Dei- 


334 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


ty ;  the  passion,  death,  resurrection,  and  ascension  of 
the  Mediator  ;  the  coming  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  the  gift 
of  Tongues;  the  promulgation  of  the  Gospel;  and  the 
liberation  of  millions  of  souls  from  darkness  to  light,  and 
from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God  ?  Doubtless,  the  glo¬ 
ry  of  the  spiritual  dispensation  far  transcends  that  of 
the  natural  creation,  both  in  the  importance  of  its  ef¬ 
fects,  and  in  the  extent  of  its  duration. 

Let  this,  then,  be  our  subject  to  contemplate  the 
spiritual  illumination  which  comes  by  Jesus  Christ : 
who,  when  the  world  was  in  darkness,  “  brought  life 
and  immortality  to  light  by  the  Gospel.’5  Of  the  diffu¬ 
sion  of  this  heavenly  Light,  we  shall  notice  three  dis¬ 
tinct  Eras. 

I.  The  first  Era  is  that  of  the  Promulgation  of  the 
Gospel  by  Christ  himself. 

II.  The  second  is  the  Era  of  the  Reformation  ;  when, 
after  that  the  Christian  world  had  again  sunk  into  dark¬ 
ness,  and  passed  a  long  night  of  superstition,  the 
beams  of  truth  broke  forth  with  renewed  splendor. 

III.  A  third  Era  of  Light  is  the  present  period. 
The  Reformed  Church,  after  preserving  its  purity  as 
long,  perhaps,  as  the  primitive  Church,  began  to  suffer 
a  general  declension,  and  was  in  danger  of  being  utterly 
overthrown  by  Infidelity.  A  decorous  external  pro¬ 
fession  was  indeed  observed  ;  and,  in  our  own  Church, 
u  the  form  of  sound  words”  was  retained  ;  but  the  spir¬ 
it  and  power  of  religion  had  very  generally  departed. 
By  many  persons  the  spiritual  influence  of  the  Gospel 
was  not  even  acknowledged.  The  effusion  of  the  Di¬ 
vine  Spirit  was  not  believed  to  exist  in  any  measure  or 
degree,  but  was  considered  as  something  which  was 
confined  to  the  first  age  of  the  Church.  But  now  the 
vital  spirit  of  our  religion  hath  revived,  and  is  produ¬ 
cing  the  fruits  of  the  first  century.  Christianity  hath 
assumed  its  true  character,  as  “  the  Light  of  the  world.” 
The  Holy  Scriptures  are  multiplying  without  number. 
Translations  are  preparing  in  almost  all  languages; 
and  Preachers  are  going  forth  into  almost  every  region, 
“  to  make  the  ivays  of  God  known  upon  earth,  his  sav¬ 
ing  health  among  all  nations.” 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


o  rt  h 

oo5 

I.  We  are  first  to  review  that  grand  Era  of  Light, 
when  “  the  Sun  of  Righteousness”  himself  appeai'ed. 

The  period  of  this  event  has  been  observed  as  an 
epoch  of  time  by  almost  all  the  civilized  nations  of  the 
world;  and  with  good  reason;  for  the  world  was  in 
darkness  till  Christ  came.  The  Spirit  of  God,  indeed, 
moved  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  ;  and  to  ‘he  Patri¬ 
archs  and  Prophets  an  intimation  was  given  that  a  Light 
would  come  ;  yet  it  was  true  that,  with  the  exception 
of  the  chosen  people,  who  were  themselves  the  harbin¬ 
gers  of  the  Light,  “  darkness  covered  the  earth,  and 
gross  darkness  the  people.”  This  was  the  state  of 
mankind  even  in  the  brightest  periods  of  Greece  and 
Rome.  Those  nations  had  made  some  progress  in  na¬ 
tural  science,  and  in  human  learning  ;  but  they  were 
utterly  ignorant  of  that  science  which  is  chiefly  worthy 
of  an  immortal  creature  ;  namely,  the  knowledge  of 
their  Creator,  and  of  their  being’s  use  and  end. 

Such  was  the  state  of  the  moral  world,  when  HE 
came,  who  is  called  “  the  Desire  of  all  Nations,” 
Haggai  ii,  7.  It  was  not  unlike  the  state  of  the  na¬ 
tural  world,  at  that  period  of  creation  when  “  the  earth 
was  without  form,  and  void  ;  and  darkness  was  upon 
the  face  of  the  deep.”  But  while  mankind  were  in¬ 
volved  in  this  spiritual  obscurity,  “  The  Word  was 
made  flesh.”  That  eternal  Word,  u  by  whom  all 
things  were  made,  and  without  whom  was  not  any  thing 
made  that  was  made,”  John  i,  3  ;  by  whom  “  God 
made  the  worlds,”  Heb.  i.  2  ;  that  same  Almighty 
Word  which  spake  at  the  first  creation,  said  a  second 
time,  “Let  there  be  Light  ;”  and  there  was  Light. 
“  I  am  come,”  said  our  Saviour,  “  a  Light  into  the 
world,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  me  should  not  abide 
in  darkness,”  John  xii,  46.  Christ  came  to  reveal 
“  the  mystery  which  was  kept  secret  since  the  world 
began,  but  now  is  made  manifest;  and  by  the  scrip¬ 
tures  of  the  Prophets,  according  to  the  commandment 
of  the  Everlasting  God,  made  known  to  all  Nations,” 
Rom.  xvi,  25.  What  then  was  this  Mystery  which 
Christ  came  to  reveal  ? 

He  revealed  the  Love  of  God  the  Father.  “  God 
so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


Son,  that  whosoever  believetfi  on  Him,  should  not 
perish,  but  have  everlasting  life,”  John  iii,  16. 

He  revealed  the  Atonement  of' God  the  Son,  in  as¬ 
suming  the  human  nature,  and  offering  himself  up  a 
sacrifice  for  the  sins  of  men.  “  My  flesh,”  saith  he, 
“I  will  give  for  the  life  of  the  world,”  John  vi,  51. 
“  A  body  hast  thou  prepared  me.  Lo,  I  come  to  do 
thy  'will,  O  God,”  Heb.  x,  5. 

He  revealed  the  Inspiration  of  God  the  Holy 
Ghost  ;  which  was  now  to  descend  from  heaven,  and 
to  “  abide  with  men  for  ever,”  John  xiv,  16;  even 
the  spirit  of  truth  which  should  “  reprove  the  world 
of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  judgment,”  John  xvi. 
18;  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  should  “  be  given  by  our 
heavenly  Father  to  them  that  ask  him,”  Luke  xi,  11. 
These  were  the  doctrines  which  were  to  give  light  to 
the  world.  They  are  comprehended  by  the  Apostle 
Peter  in  one  sentence.  He  addresses  believers  as  be¬ 
ing  “  elect,  according  to  the  foreknowledge  of  God 
the  Father,  through  sanctification  of  the  Spirit  unto 
obedience  ;  and  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ,”  1  Pet.  i,  2. 

These  doctrines  our  Saviour  embodied  in  a  short 
Commission  or  Charge,  which  he  delivered,  after  his 
ascension  into  heaven,  to  one  of  his  Apostles.  It  was 
given  to  that  Apostle,  whom  our  Lord  called  “  the 
chosen  vessel,  to  bear  his  name  to  the  Gentiles,” 
Acts  ix,  15.  For  when  Paul  was  proceeding  on  his 
way  to  Damascus,  “a  light  above  the  brightness  of  the 
sun  shone  around  him  ;”  and  our  Saviour  spoke  to  him 
from  heaven  in  the  following  words:  “I  send  thee  to 
the  Gentiles  to  open  their  eyes,  and  to  turn  them 
from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan 
unto  God  ;  that  they  may  receive  forgiveness  of  sins, 
and  inheritance  among  them  which  are  sanctified  by 
faith,  which  is  in  me,”  Acts  xxvi,  13. 

This  Charge  our  Lord  delivered  after  his  ascension 
into  heaven,  expressly  for  the  instruction  of  his  Min¬ 
isters,  in  regard  to  the  doctrine  they  were  to  preach, 
and  to  the  effects  which  should 'follow.  It  may 
therefore  be  considered  as  a  summary  of  the  doctrine 
of  the  four  Gospels;  and  every  Minister  of  Christ 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


*  r' 


ought  to  engrave  it  on  the  tablet  of  his  memory,  anti 
comprehend  it  well :  whether  he  preach  “  to  Greek  or 
to  barbarian,  to  learned  or  to  unlearned,  to  bond  or 
to  free.” 

Here  is  first  established  that  fundamental  truth, 
which  ought  ever  to  be  presentwith  us  in  all  our  coun¬ 
sels  concerning  the  promulgation  of  the  gospel,  That 
the  Gentiles  are  “  under  the  power  of  Satan.”  “  I  send 
thee  r  saith  our  Lord,  “  to  the  Gentiles,  to  turn  them, 
from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God.”  This  is  a  truth 
which  the  wisdom  of  this  world  “  will  not  receive 
and  it  is  assaulted  by  a  false  philosophy  continually. 
But,  like  a  rock  assailed  by  the  restless  waves,  it  will 
remain  for  ever  immoveable.  For  what  we  call  a 
revelation  from  heaven,  is  properly  a  revelation  of  this, 
That  all  men  are  by  nature  “  in  darkness,  and  under 
the  power  of  Satan  ;”  and  that  Christ  hath  come  “to 
turn  them  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power 
of  Satan  unto  God.” 


The  second  part  of  our  Saviour’s  Charge  declares  the 
effects  of  preaching  the  Gospel,  namely,  That  the 
Gentiles  should  receive  “  forgiveness  of  sins  by  faith  in 
Christ,”  and  that  “  their  eyes  should  be  opened.” 
These  are  the  effects  in  this  world. 


The  third  part  declares  the  consequence  in  the 
world  to  come  ;  that  they  should  receive  a  glorious 
“  inheritance  among  them  which  are  sanctified;”  that 
is,  among  them  which  are  made  meet  “  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  become  partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the 
saints  in  light,”  Col.  i,  12. 

These  were  the  doctrines  of  Light  «  which  were  now 
made  manifest,  and,  by  the  commandment  of  the  ever¬ 
lasting  God,  were  to  be  made  known  to  all  nations  ” 
And  our  Saviour  said  unto  his  Disciples,  “  Go  ye  into 
all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  unto  every  crea¬ 
ture.  They  accordingly  went  forth.  Though  un¬ 
learned  men,  they  went  forth  with  confidence,  to 
change  THE  religion  of  the  world.  The  darkness 
of  paganism  receded  before  them ;  and  in  process  of 
time  there  was  a  general  illumination. 

In  the  course  of  three  hundred  years  “  the  ever¬ 
lasting  Gospel”  was  published  generally  through¬ 
out  the  habitable  world  ;^and  a  great  company  were 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


«r.ri 
OOO 

gathered  out  of  many  nations,  who  became  partakers 
of  “the  inheritance  among  them  which  are  sancti¬ 
fied.”  But,  during  that  period  “the  children  of  light” 
had  to  maintain  a  fiery  conflict  with  the  powers  of 
darkness.  For  a  new  thing  appeared  upon  the  earth. 
The  pagan  religions,  though  they  differed  from  each 
other  in  form,  yet  agreeing  in  principle,  had  existed  in 
amity  together ;  because  they  were  of  the  same  kind, 
and  members  of  the  same  family.  “  The  strong  man, 
armed,  kept  his  palace,  and  his  goods  were  in  peace,” 
Luke  xi,  21.  But  they  no  sooner  beheld  the  religion 
from  heaven,  than  they  all  united  against  it,  and  per¬ 
secuted  it.  They  hated  its  purity,  its  humility,  its  spir¬ 
itual  worship,  its  renunciations  of  self-glory,  and  its 
contemplation  of  eternal  life.  “  The  light  shined  in 
darkness,  and  the  darkness  comprehended  it  not,”  John 
i,  5.  The  heathen  governments  deveted  multitudes  of 
their  fellow  subjects  to  death,  not  for  crimes  which 
they  had  done,  but  “  for  righteousness  sake  ;”  wonder¬ 
ing  themselves  at  their  own  new  and  strange  work,  of 
which  there  had  been  no  example  in  the  records  of  na¬ 
tions.  And  these  multitudes  met  death  with  cheer¬ 
ful  hope  ;  because  they  knew  that  there  should  be  “  a 
resurrection  from  the  dead.”  At  length  the  great  con¬ 
flict  was  ended,  and  the  Christian  faith  obtained  the 
dominion. 

But,  as  Adam,  the  parent  of  the  human  race,  fell 
from  his  high  estate  by  withdrawing  from  communion 
with  God  ;  so  his  descendants  follow  his  sin,  in  per¬ 
verting  the  truth,  and  renouncing  the  gift  of  heaven. 
As  the  chosen  race  who  had  communion  with  God 
upon  earth  at  Sinai,  turned  away  afterwards  and 
sought  salvation  by  other  gods :  so  that  peculiar  peo¬ 
ple,  yet  more  highly  favored,  who  had  “  communion 
with  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,”  turned  away 
«  from  him  who  spake  unto  them  from  heaven.”  Ileb. 
xii,  25.  No  sooner  had  the  religion  of  Christ  become 
the  religion  of  the  world,  and  been  invested  with  digni¬ 
ty  and  power,  than  it  began  to  be  corrupted.  Men  be¬ 
gan  “  to  hold  the  truth  in  unrighteousness  ;”  and  “  Sa¬ 
tan  himself  was  transformed  into  an  Angel  of  Light,”  so 
as  to  deceive  the  nations.  They  sunk  gradually  into 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


339 


the  abyss  of  ignorance  and  superstition  ;  and  «  darkness 
eart^»  ancl  gross  darkness  the  people.” 
What  added  to  the  horror  of  this  darkness,  the  Bible  it¬ 
self,  the  fountain  of  Light,  was  taken  away ;  and,  for 
some  ages,  the  Revelation  of  God,  which  had  been  giv¬ 
en  by  the  hand  of  a  Mediator,  and  by  the  ministry  of  Pa¬ 
triarchs,  Prophets, and  Apostles,  was  hid  from  the  world, 
Christianity  hath  two  principal  enemies  to  contend  with, 
SuPEiis-rnuoN  and  Infidelity.  It  was  Superstition 
which  first  shut  the  Bible.  The  age  of  Infidelity  had 
not  yet  come.  1 

fn  dark  Per“d  of  which  we  speak,  even  the 
chief  Seats  of  learning  became  fountains  of  error  to 
the  world.  From  those  very  Scats  it  was  maintained, 
1  hat  Christianity  was  little  more  than  a  moral  code, 
and  that  the  Faith  by  which  we  should  be  saved  con¬ 
sisted  principally  in  “  a  mere  historic  belief.”  The 
doctrine  asserted  amounted  in  substance  to  this,  that  a 
man  might  almost,  if  not  entirely,  qualify  and  entitle 
h  mself  by  certain  good  actions  to  receive  the  grace  of 
God ;  and  that  thus  he  might  purchase  heaven  by  his 
own  merit.  So  thick  a  mantle  of  darkness  had  covered 
the  minds  of  men  ! 

At  length  there  appeared  a  dawn  of  light.  Brad- 
wardine  of  Oxford  combated  these  errors  of  doctrine 
with  great  energy  and  eloquence.  He  was  Archbish¬ 
op  of  Canterbury,  and  the  most  profound  scholar  of 
his  age._  And  as  he  was  first  in  the  Church  in  learn¬ 
ing  and  in  station,  so  he  was  almost  sole  in  his  opinion 
But  he  was  «  full  of  faith and  singly  attempted,  as 
he  expressed  it,  “  to  defend  so  great  a  cause.”* 

...  said  Archbishop  Bradwardine,  “  I  sneak  it 

with  grief;  as  formerly  four  hundred  and  fifty  prophets  were 
united  against  one  prophet  of  the  Lord  ;  so  at  this  day  how  inTnv 
O  God  contend  for  Free-Will  (human  sufficiency  and  meritl 
against  thy  gratuitous  Grace  !  How  many  indeed  in  our™  m2 
despise  thy  saving  Grace;  or  if  they  use  the  term  Grace  Tow 
do  hey  boast  that  they  deserve  it  by  the  strength  of  their  FreZ 

rS  ’  Arise* °0  W°1d  *  ^  after  info  el 

ror.  Arise,  O  Lord,  judge  thine  own  cause;  sustain  him  whn 

undertakes  to  defend  thy  truth.  Protect,  strengthen  and  com! 

01 1  me:  for  thou  knowest  that,  nowhere  relying  on  my  own 


340 


THE  ERAS  OP  LIGHT. 


But  Wickliffe  of  the  same  University  was  ordain¬ 
ed  to  confirm  more  fully  the  evangelic  testimony. 
He  was  properly  the  first  great  light  in  that  dark  age. 
He  translated  the  Bible  into  our  own  tongue  ;  and  his 
own  mind  was  illumined  by  it.  He  then  assailed  with 
an  intrepid  spirit  the  before-mentioned  errors,  and  in 
particular,  the  position  (which  is  the  fundamental  prin¬ 
ciple  of  a  corrupt  theology)  “  That  a  man  becomes 
acceptable  to  God,  and  is  finally  saved,  by  his  own 
works  and  merits.” 

“  Human  nature,”  pronounced  Wickliffe  from  the 
theological  chair,  “  is  wholly  at  enmity  with  God. 
Man  is  a  sinner  from  the  womb.  He  cannot  think  a 
good  thought ;  he  cannot  perform  a  good  work,  except 
he  receive  grace.”  And  with  respect  to  that  Faith 
whereby  we  shall  be  saved,  he  speaks  in  these  terms, 
u  The  merit  of  Christ  is  sufficient  of  itself  to  redeem 
every  man  from  Hell.  Faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
is  sufficient  for  salvation.  We  are  not  to  seek  to  be 
justified  in  any  other  way  than  by  his  justice.  We 
become  righteous  through  the  participation  of  HIS 
righteousness.”*  Wickliffe  here  speaks  the  sense  of 
a  Text,  from  which  every  Theologian  should  learn  to 
preach  ;  “  To  him  that  worketh  NOT,  but  belie veth 
on  HIM  that  justifieth  the  ungodly,  his  faith  is  counted 
for  righteousness.”  This  text  is  found  in  the  fourth 
chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  and  at  the  fifth 

strength,  I  attempt  to  maintain  so  cheat  a  cause.”  Bradwar- 
dini  Opera,  Prefat, 

The  Theologians,  whom  Bradwardine  opposed,  correspond 
nearly  with  the  great  Pelagian  body  of  the  present  day.  This 
body  assumes  not  the  ancient  name,  but  exists  under  different 
names,  and  is  composed  of  different  denominations.  But  they 
all  agree  in  one  distinguishing  character,  “  That  they  despise  the 
saving  grace  of  God.”  They  generally  profess,  what  they  call, 
Rational  Christianity  ;  by  which  they  mean  that  their  religion 
is  merely  rational,  and  that  it  hath  nothing  spiritual  in  it.  They 
acknowledge  no  influence  from  above,  nor  any  operation  of  di¬ 
vine  grace.  In  this  sense,  it  is  true  that  they  profess  a  rational 
religion  :  but  on  the  same  principle,  it  might  be  easy  to  prove  that 
the  religions  of  the  heathen  world  are  all  rational  religions. 
It  is  surely  high  time  for  Christians  to  take  leave  of  the  Pelagian 
Philosophy. 

*  Dr.  James’s  Apology  for  Wickliffe. 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


341 


\ erse.  But  the  unanswerable  argument  for  the  truth 
ot  this  doctrine  is  derived  from  the  history  of  Corne¬ 
lius,  the  Centurion.  “  His  alms  and  prayers  came  up 
as  a  memorial  before  God,”  Acts  x,  4 ;  but  he  became 
not  thereby  an  heir  of  salvation.  He  was  directed  to 
go  to  the  Apostle  Peter,  “  who  should  tell  him  words 
whereby  he  should  be  saved.”  Acts  xi,  14.  Until 
Cornelius  heard  the  words  of  the  Gospel  from  Peter, 
and  thereupon  “  received  the  Holy  Ghost,”  he  knew 

nothing  of  that  faith  whereby  alone  he  could  be 
saved. 

But  Wickliffe  was  only  the  forerunner.  Like  John 
the  Baptist,  he  prophesied  of  a  Light  that  should 
and  almost  in  his  words  he  said,  “  I  am  but  a  solitary 
evidence  against  a  Host.  I  am  but  the  voice  of  one 
citing  in  the  wilderness.”  But  his  own  light  did  not 
dispel  the  gloom.  Though  it  shone  far  into  the  vale 
ot  night,  it  reached  not  to  the  Throne  of  darkness  at 
Rome., 

II  The  second  Era  of  Light  is  the  Reformation. 
In  the  midst  of  this  spiritual  darkness,  while  men 
ivere  sitting  a  second  time  “  in  the  region  and  shadow 
ot  death,  the  “  day-spring  from  on  high  visited  them.” 
Ihis  has  been  accounted  by  some  an  epoch  in  the 
Church  not  less  remarkable  than  that  of  the  firs'  pro¬ 
mulgation  ot  the  Gospel.  And  although  it  is  now 
much  out  of  view  in  the  minds  of  many  ;  although  In¬ 
fidelity  would  obscure  its  glory,  and  “  the  withered 
hand  hath  been  lifted  up  against  Him  that  healed  it,” 
the  Reformation  will  ever  be  considered  as  a  great 
event  m  the  divine  dispensation  by  all  true  members  of 
tlic  Chur  ch  of  Christ,  to  the  end  of  time. 

As,  in  the  first  age,  the  preaching  of  the  Apostle 
Paul  was  chiefly  instrumental  in  the  conversion  of 
men  ;  so,  at  this  second  Era,  the  ministry  of  Luthfr 
was  principally  honored  of  God,  for  that  purpose.  Lu¬ 
ther  was  ordained  to  be  the  great  instrument  of  Lio-ht  • 
and  he,  like  Wickliffe,  gave  the  Holy  Scriptures 
to  his  nation  in  their  own  tongue. 

But,  by  what  means  was  Light  restored  at  the  Re¬ 
formation  ?  The  cause  is  to  be  found  in  the  third  pan 
of  our  Saviour’s  doctrine  before  mentioned,  namelv 

e  e  2 


342 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


the  Inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  spirit  of  Truth 
which  should  resist  the  spirit  of  Satan  and  of  error, 
“  reprove  the  world  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and. 
of  judgment;  and  guide  men  into  all  truth.”  This 
was  the  efficient  cause  :  but  the  means  or  instrument 
was  the  Bible.  Light  was  restored  to  the  world  by  the 
Bible. 

The  writers  of  that  day  give  an  animating  account  of 
the  sensations  of  joy  and  exultation,  with  which  the 
people  of  our  own  country  received  the  Word  of  God. 
A  Copy  of  the  Bible  was  fixed  by  the  Royal  command 
to  a  desk  in  the  Churches  ;  and  the  people  assembled 
in  crowds  to  read  it,  or  to  hear  it  read.  It  is  recorded 
that  many  persons  learned  to  read  in  their  old  age,  that 
they  might  be  able  to  read  the  Bible.  A  frequent  Text 
of  the  Preachers  of  that  time  was  that  which  we  have 
chosen,  “  And  God  said,  Let  there  be  Light ;  and  there 
was  Light.”  For  the  light  of  truth  shone  upon  them 
suddenly  ;  and  every  where  illumined  the  minds  of 
men,  almost  at  the  same  time. 

The  distinguishing  doctrine  of  the  Reformation  was 
“  Justification  by  Faith  alone.”  “  This,”  said  Luther, 
“  is  the  only  solid  Rock.”  “  This  Rock,”  continues 
he,  “  did  Satan  shake  in  Paradise,  when  he  persuaded 
our  first  parents  that  by  their  own  wisdom  and  power 
they  might  become  like  unto  God  ;  and  thereby  in¬ 
duced  them  to  renounce  their  faith  in  God,  who  had 
given  them  life,  and  a  promise  of  its  continuance.” 
In  the  same  manner  do  many  at  this  day  renounce 
their  faith  in  God,  who  hath  promised  life  by  his 
Son  ;  and  they  seek  Life  by  their  own  wisdom  and 
power.  “  The  kingdom  of  Satan,”  added  Luther,  “  is 
to  be  resisted  by  this  heavenly  and  all-powerful  doc¬ 
trine.  Whether  we  be  rude  or  eloquent,  whether  we 
be  learned  or  unlearned,  THIS  ROCK  must  be  de¬ 
fended;  this  doctrine  must  be  published  abroad  in  ani¬ 
mated  strains.”* 

Pure  religion  being  thus  restored,  the  first  labor  of 
our  Church  was  to  do  honor  to  the  true  and  genuine 
doctrines  of  Christianity.  And  this  she  did  by  exhib- 

*  Preface  to  the  Commentary  on  the  Galatians. 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT, 


343 


king  them  to  the  world  “  in  a  form  of  sound  words.” 
in  the  composition  of  our  Liturgy,  Articles,  and 
Homilies  ;  which  we  maintain  to  be  the  standard  of 
sound  doctrine  unto  this  day.* 

But  an  affecting  and  awful  scene  was  to  follow  in 
England.  The  providence  of  God  directed  that  the 
truth  and  efficacy  of  these  doctrines  thus  set  forth, 
should  be  proved.  In  like  manner  as  at  the  first  pro¬ 
mulgation  of  the  Gospel,  its  divinity  was  displayed  by 
the  marvellous  constancy  of  the  first  Martyrs  ;  so 
it  was  ordered  that  when  the  truth  was  published  a 
second  time,  it  should  undergo  a  similar  trial.  Many 
persons,  of  every  rank,  age,  and  sex,  suffered  death  for 
the  faith  of  Christ,  “  not  accepting  deliverence,  that 
they  might  obtain  a  better  resurrection,”  Heb.  xi,  35. 
And  thus  there  has  been  given  to  the  Church,  in  these 
latter  days  a  recent  and  undeniable  testimony  of  the 
nature  and  divine  power  of  the  true  doctrine. 

From  that  time  the  light  of  truth  continued  to  shine 
in  the  Protestant  Church  for  a  long  period ;  with  some 
intermission  indeed,  and  in  certain  churches  more  in¬ 
tensely  than  in  others.  But  it  shone  in  some  places 
as  brightly,  and  probably  endured  as  long,  as  it  ever 
did  in  any  period  in  the  Primitive  Church.  At  length, 
however,  by  the  combined  operation  of  causes  which 
are  well  known, f  a  spirit  of  indifference  to  religious 

*  And  not  we  only;  for  though  certain  churches  differ  from  us 
and  from  each  other  in  form  and  discipline,  they  agree  with  us  in 
doctrine.  The  doctrines  of  our  Church  are  acknowledged  by 
the  Protestant  Churches  on  the  continent,  by  the  established 
Church  of  Scotland,  and  by  the  great  body  of  dissenters  in  our 
own  Country. 

f  By  the  association  of  sanctity  with  the  spirit  of  republi¬ 
canism  and  rebellion  during  the  Usurpation  of  Cromwell,  that  ho¬ 
liness  of  life  which  was  enjoined  by  our  Saviour,  became  a  sub¬ 
ject  of  scorn  or  contempt.  The  people  passed  over  from  one  er¬ 
ror  to  the  contrary  extreme.  The  bow  was  bent  till  the  string 
was  broken,  and  it  has  never  been  rightly  strung  again.  The  na¬ 
tion  being  emancipated  from  a  yoke  which  assumed  a  religious 
name,  considered  religion  as  its  enemy ;  and  thus  the  spiritual 
faith  of  Christ  became  identified  with  fanaticism  or  enthusiasm  ; 
and  so  it  has  remained  in  a  great  measure  to  this  day.  Political 
dissention,  the  most  powerful  engine  in  a  free  nation, "has  tended 
Vo  keep  this  prejudice  alive.  As  might  he  expected  the  charge  of 


34'4 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


truth  began  to  manifest  itself,  not  only  in  the  establish¬ 
ed  and  national  churches,  but  among  all  the  other  de¬ 
nominations  of  Christians.  It  is  difficult  to  say  where 
there  was  most  apathy  and  languor.  For  though  “  the 
form  of  sound  words”  was  still  generally  retained  (in 
our  own  church  in  a  written  form,  in  other  churches 
in  an  extempore  form)  and  there  were  some  eminent 
examples  of  piety  and  laudable  zeal ;  yet  it  was  most 
evident  that  in  many  places  religion  was  sinking  fast 
into  a  lifeless  profession  ;  and  that  in  some  places  it 
merely  exhibited  the  body  and  external  figure.  Even 
among  those  denominations  of  Christians,  who  were 
once  distinguished  by  a  name  derived  from  purity, 
little  fruit  was  to  be  found.  They  were  in  the  state 
in  which  the  Prophet  describes  the  remnant  in  his 
day;  “  as  the  shaking  of  an  olive  tree,  two  or  three 
berries  on  the  top  of  the  uppermost  bough.”  Isai¬ 
ah  xvii,  6.  And  not  only  was  the  spirit  of  religion 
nearly  extinguished,  but  men  began  to  be  ashamed 
of  their  religion.*  All  this  while  science  and  human 

fanaticism  is  chiefly  imputed  to  Dissenters.  And  thus  both  par¬ 
ties  have  been  kept  in  bondage  during  a  long  period,  dread¬ 
ing  each  otlier’s  power,  and  doubting  each  other’s  purposes,  and 
taking  the  measure  of  each  other’s  religion  by  their  own  fears  and 
the  horrors  of  a  former  age.  The  Dissenter  is  a  fanatic,  and  the 
Churchman  is  a  bigot.  And  so  absolute  is  this  alienation  in  the 
minds  of  some,  that  the  idea  of  an  Union  in  any  religious  pur¬ 
pose,  is  considered  to  be  so  unnatural  as  to  be  displeasing  to  God 
himself.  On  this  subject  neither  Churchman  nor  Dissenter  will 
ever  find  rest  until  he  shall  have  been  taught  by  the  grace  of 
God,  the  nature  of  that  Charity  which  our  Saviour  enjoined. 

A  new  Commandment  1  give  unto  you,  that  ye  love  one  an¬ 
other  even  that  charity  which  the  Apostle  Paul  lias  so  sublime¬ 
ly  described  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  the  first  epistle  to  the 
Corinthians:  “Though  I  speak  with  the  tongue  of  men  and 
angels  and  have  not  Charity,  I  am  nothing.”  And  again ; 
“Though  I  have  all  faith,  so  that  I  could  remove  mountains, 
and  have  not  Charity,  I  am  nothing.”  Beaman  a  learned. 
Churchman  or  an  orthodox  Dissenter,  “  if  lie  have  not  Charity, 
lie  is  nothing.” 

*  To  this  fact  the  chief  Representative  of  the  Church  at  that 
time  has  recorded  the  following  testimony  : 

“  It  is  a  reproach,  I  believe  peculiar  to  the  Christians  of  this 
age  and  nation,  that  many  of  them  seem  ashamed  of  their  Chris¬ 
tianity  :  and  excuse  their  piety  as  others  do  their  vices.” 

Seeker's  Sermons,  vol.  i.  59 j 

The  testimony  of  Bishop  Butler  to  the  prevalence  of  Infidelity 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


345 


learning  were  progressive ;  but  the  knowledge  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures  was  passing  away.  As  a  proof  of 
this  decay  in  sacred  literature,  we  need  noly  notice 
this  fact.  The  Hebrew  language,  which  is  the  source 
of  all  critical  knowledge  of  the  Bible  (of  the  New 
Testament  as  well  as  of  the  Old,)  became,  at  length, 
but  little  known  even  to  learned  men.  And  though 
there  ever  have  been  illustrious  exceptions,  it  ceased 
at  last,  to  form  a  part  of  the  ordinary  studies  of  youth 
at  our  Seats  of  Learning;  even  of  those  students  who 
were  destined  for  the  sacred  office, 

Out  of  this  state  of  things  arose  a  new  Enemy  to 
the  Church  ;  the  enemy  that  might  be  expected,  Infi¬ 
delity;  or  the  positive  denial  of  the  truth  of  a  rev¬ 
elation  from  God.  We  have  seen  that  it  was  supersti¬ 
tion  which  first  shut  the  Bible.  The  second  attempt 
was  made  by  Infidelity.  But  the  further  consid¬ 
eration  of  this  subject  we  must  reserve  for  the  af¬ 
ternoon  ;  when  we  shall  review  the  progress  of  infidel¬ 
ity  in  extending-  its  darkness ;  and  the  Era  of  Light 
which  followed. 

But  before  I  conclude  this  discourse  I  would  beg 
leave  to  direct  your  attention  to  a  subject  of  no  little 
consequence  to  the  interests  of  religion,  and  to  the 
character  of  our  Universities  in  the  present  circum¬ 
stances  of  the  Church  ;  the  notice  of  which  arises  im¬ 
mediately  from  our  present  discussion.  I  mean  the 
importance  of  a  critical  knowledge  of  the  Original 
languages  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  to  the  theological 
Student. 

The  original  language  of  the  New  Testament  has 

is  very  remarkable.  “  It  is  come,”  says  he,  “  I  know  not  how, 
to  be  taken  for  granted,  by  many  persons,  that  Christianity  is  not 
so  much  as  a  subject  of  enquiry :  but  that  it  is,  now  at  length, 
discovered  to  be  ficticious  :  and,  accordingly  they  treat  it,  as  if 
in  the  present  age,  this  were  an  agreed  point  among  all  people 
of  discernment;  and  that  nothing  remained  but  to  set  it  up 
as  a  principal  subject  of  mirth  and  ridicule  ;  as  it  were,  byway 
of  reprisals  for  its  having  so  long  interrupted  the  pleasures  of  the 
world.”  Preface  to  the  Analogy,  1736- 

What  must  have  been  the  state  of  the  common  people  in  gene¬ 
ral,  when  it  was  taken  for  granted  that  such  were  the  sentiments 
of  all  people  of  discernment  in  the  nation  ! 


34S 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT*. 


been  well  cultivated ;  and  one  cause  of  this  has  been 
its  affinity  to  the  Greek  Classics.  But  the  acqui¬ 
sition  of  the  language  of  the  Old  Testament  is  equally 
necessary.  It  is  indispensible  for  those  who  would 
possess  a  critical  knowledge  of  the  Bible  ;  for  the  New 
Testament  is  written  in  the  idiom  of  the  Old.  It  may 
be  received  as  an  axiom,  That  a  knowledge  of  He¬ 
brew  learning  “  among  the  great  body  of  the  clergy, 
is  the  mark  of  a  flourishing  church  ;**  that  is,  of  a 
church  which  is  ardent  in  maintaining  the  true  faith, 
and  in  expounding  the  pure  word  of  God  to  the  peo¬ 
ple.  Among  the  members  of  the  Romish  communion 
this  species  of  learning  is  almost  entirely  extinct. 

Having  thus  asserted  the  importance  of  a  critical 
knowledge  of  the  Bible,  I  think  it  fit,  nevertheless,  to 
controvert  the  opinion,  that  without  such  a  knowledge 
individuals  cannot  build  the  doctrines  of  Christianity, 
or  Christianity  itself,  upon  a  solid  foundation.  If  this 
were  true,  what  must  have  been  the  state  of  our  own 
Church  in  the  absence  of  Hebrew  learning  ?  If  sacred 
criticism  be  the  sole  foundation  and  constitute  the  very 
grounds  of  our  belief,  upon  what  has  our  belief  hither¬ 
to  been  grounded  ?  This  opinion  places  the  Christian 
Religion  on  the  footing  of  the  superstitions  of  Mahom¬ 
et  and  Brahma  ;  which  is  this,  That  if  you  commit  to 
memory  a  certain  number  of  historic  facts,  and  can 
read  certain  languages,  (all  of  which,  both  facts  and 
languages,  may  be  obliterated  from  your  memory  in 
less  than  twenty  years)  you  are  a  good  Theologian  ; 
but  with  this  advantage,  however,  in  favor  of  the  Ma¬ 
hometan,  in  regard  to  many  theologians  of  this  day, 
that,  whereas  he  can  read  his  Koran  in  the  original 
Arabic,  they  cannot  read  the  Old  Testament  in  the 
original  Hebrew.  My  brethren,  by  this  argument, 
(which  is  the  same  in  principle  with  those  which  we 
haye  seen,  were  uttered  in  a  dark  age  from  the  chief 
Seats  of  Learning,)  the  assisting  Grace  of  God,  and 
all  that  is  peculiar  to  the  Christian  religion,  seems  to 

be  VERY  BOLDLY  EXTINGUISHED. 

But  perhaps  the  source  of  this  misapprehension  lies 
in  confounding  these  two  terms,  a  Theologian  and  a 
Christian.  That  which  constitutes  a  Christian  is  “  Faith, 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


347 


Hope,  and  Charity  ;  these  three.”  Much  human  learn¬ 
ing  is  not  essentially  necessary  to  constitute  a  Christian. 
Indeed  a  man  may  be  a  profound  Theologian  and  not  be 
a  Christian  at  all.  He  may  be  learned  in  the  doctrines 
and  history  of  Christianity,  and  yet  be  a  stranger  to  the 
fruits  of  Christianity.  He  may  be  destitute  of  Faith,  of 
Hope,  and  of  Charity. 

Let  us  not  then  confound  the  fruits  of  religion, 
namely,  its  influence  on  our  moral  conduct,  its  peace  of 
mind,  and  hope  of  heaven,  with  the  circumstances 
of  religion.  True  religion  is  that  which  its  great  Au¬ 
thor  himself  hath  declared.  It  is  a  practical  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  Love  of  God  the  Father,  “  who  sent  not 
his  Son  into  the  world,  to  condemn  the  world  ;  but  that 
the  world,  through  him,  might  be  saved of  the 
Atonement  of  God  the  Son,  by  faith  in  whom  we 
receive  remission  of  our  sins,  and  are  justified  in  the 
sight  of  the  Father  ;  and  of  the  Sanctification  of 
God  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  which  we  are  made  meet 
“  to  become  partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints 
in  light.”  The  preacher  who  can  communicate  this 
knowledge  to  his  hearers  (and  it  is  true,  that  if  he  pos-. 
sess  a  critical  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  and  of  the  his¬ 
tory  of  Christianity,  he  will  be  likely  to  do  it  with  the 
most  success,)  the  same  is  “a  workman  that  needeth 
not  to  be  ashamed,  and  a  good  minister  of  Jesus  Christ,’* 
1  Tim.  iv,  6. 

As  an  illustration  of  this  truth,  we  may  adduce  the  in¬ 
fluence  of  the  Gospel  on  the  ignorant  minds  of  persons 
born  in  the  heathen  world. 

It  has  been  maintained  by  some,  that  civilization 
must  always  prepare  the  way  for  Christianity.  But 
this  position,  like  many  others  allied  to  this  subject,  is 
completely  at  variance  with  the  fact.  Civilization  is  a 
blessing  of  itself,  and  ought  to  be  given,  as  we  have  op¬ 
portunity,  to  all  nations  :  but  it  is  not  universally  neces¬ 
sary  that  it  should  precede  the  Gospel.  The  fact  is, 
that  the  religion  of  Christ  has  sometimes  found  more 
difficulty  in  conflicting  with  a  refined  superstition,  with 
what  St.  Paul  calls  “  the  wisdom  of  men,”  than  with 
the  ignorance  of  barbarism.  It  doth  not  appear  that 
human  learning,  in  itself  considered,  though  in  many 


MS 


1&E  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


ways  an  important  instrument  of  good  to  mankind, 
predisposes  the  mind  in  any  manner  or  degree  to  re¬ 
ceive  the  Grace  of  God.  There  is  a  sense  in  which 
Learning,  like  Riches,  may  impede  our  spiritual  pro¬ 
gress,  for  “  Knowledge  puffeth  up,”  1  Cor.  viii,  1  ; 
Though  we  are  ever  to  distinguish  between  the  use 
and  the  abuse  of  learning.  On  this  subject  we  ought 
to  keep  in  remembrance  our  Saviour’s  words,  “  The 
poor  have  the  Gospel  preached  to  them  in  which  is 
implied,  “That  the  poor  would  understand  the  Gos¬ 
pel  and  receive  the  Gospel  and  these  words  have 
been  illustrated  in  every  age.  The  Apostle  Paul  had  less 
success  among  the  learned  at  Athens,  than  among  the 
barbarous  people.  And  the  same  is  sometimes  the 
experience  of  Preachers  at  this  day  among  the  Gen¬ 
tile  nations.  It  so  happens  that  the  most  numerous  con¬ 
versions,  during  the  last  century,  have  been  among  those 
nations  which  have  least  civilization.*  And  this  fact  de¬ 
monstrates  the  PERMANENT  CHARACTER  and  DIVINE 
nature  of  the  Christian  dispensation.  For,  u  Where 
is  the  wise  ?”  saith  the  Apostle,  in  reference  to  this 
subject :  “  Where  is  the  Scribe  ?  Where  is  the  disput- 
er  of  this  world  ?  Hath  not  God  made  foolish  the  wis¬ 
dom  of  this  world?  For  ye  see  your  calling,  brethren; 
how  that  not  many  tvise  men  after  the  flesh,  not  many 
mighty,  not  many  noble  are  called.  But  God  hath  cho¬ 
sen  the  foolish  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  wise  : 
and  God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to 
confound  the  things  that  are  mighty  :  That  no  flesh 
should  glory  in  his  presence:  But,  that  according  as  it 
is  written,  He  that  glorieth,  let  him  glory  in  the  Lord,” 
1  Cor.  i,  26. 

*  The  Esquimaux  Indians  of  Labrador  ;  the  Colarees  of 
the  Deccan  in  India  ;  tlia  African  slaves  of  several  islands  in 
the  West  Indies  ;  and  the  natives  of  Caffraria,  and  ofthe  Great  and 
Little  Namaquas,  in  the  South  of  Africa.  See  the  reports  of  the 
Moravian  and  Danish  Missions. 


SERMON  IV. 


(AFTERNOON.) 

Gen.  i,  3.  Let  there  be  Light. 

Among  the  many  pieces  of  sublime  and  beautiful  com¬ 
position  with  which  the  service  of  our  Church  abounds, 
there  is  a  prayer  which  I  have  always  admired  ;  and 
which  will  properly  introduce  the  Era  of  Light,  that 
is  to  be  the  subject  of  this  discourse  ;  I  mean  that  Col¬ 
lect  in  which  we  pray  that  our  Church  may  be  “  enlight¬ 
ened  by  the  doctrine  of  the  Evangelist  Saint  John.” 

The  doctrine  of  the  Evangelist  St.  John  accords  with 
that  of  our  Saviour  before  mentioned  namely, 

J-  bat  God  the  F  ather  is  love.  ii  God  is  Love.  Here¬ 
in  is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God,  but  that  He  loved 
us,  and  sent  his  Son  to  be  the  propitiation  for  our  Sins,” 
1  John  iv,  10. 

.  °f  Gocl  the  Son  he  saith,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come 
in  the  flesh  :  and  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son 
cleanseth  from  all  sin,”  1  John  i,  7. 

Of  God  the  Holy  Ghost  he  saith,  «  It  is  the  Spirit 
that  _  bear eth  witness  (to  the  Son  of  God,)  because  the 
Spirit  is  Truth  ;”  and  of  its  operation  on  the  hearts  of 
believers  he  saith)  that  u  they  have  an  Unction  from 
the  Floly  One  ;  and  that  this  unction  Abideth  in 
them  j  that  they  are  thus  born  of  God,”  and  become 
‘  die  children  ot  God  and,  finally,  that  the  evidence- 
oi  their  being  thus  born  again,  is  «  the  love  of  the  breth¬ 
ren.  ^  “  W  e  know,”  saith  he,  “  that  we  have  passed 
from  death  to  life,  because  we  love  the  brethren,”  1 
John  iii,  14. 

This  is  the  doctrine  of  the  blessed  Apostle  and 
Evangelist  St.  John,  as  expressed  in  his  Epistles,  and 
confirmed  by  his  Gospel ;  and  this  is  the  heavenly  doc- 

F  f 


S50 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


trine  which  our  Church  prays  for  in  the  following 
words  : 

“  Merciful  Lord,  we  beseech  thee  to  cast  thy  bright 
beams  of  Light  upon  thy  Church,  that  it  being  enlight¬ 
ened  by  the  doctrine  of  thy  blessed  Apostle  and  Evan¬ 
gelist  Saint  John,  may  so  walk  in  the  light  of  thy  truth, 
that  it  may  at  length  attain  to  the  light  of  everlasting 
life  ;  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  Amen.” 

This  prayer  was  offered  up  continually  during  a  long 
season  of  darkness,  and  at  length  was  answered  at  the 
appointed  time. 

In  our  former  discourse  we  stated  that,  while  the  Pro¬ 
testant  Churches  were  declining  in  piety,  a  new  enemy 
appeared.  “While  men  slept,  the  Tares  were  sown,” 
Matt.  xiii^25.  It  was  about  the  middle  of  the  last  cen¬ 
tury  that  Infidelity,  which  had  appeared  long  before, 
first  began  to  shew  itself  in  strong  and  general  operation. 
At  the  very  time  when  the  spirit  of  Infidelity  was  foster¬ 
ing  its  strength, under  the  name  of  Philosophy,  and  prepar¬ 
ing  for  the  awful  revolutions  which  followed,  the  spirit¬ 
ual  religion  of  Christ  began  to  revive,  and  has  since 
produced  the  most  beneficial  effects.  True  Religion 
and  Infidelity  have  shown  their  proper  fruits  in  our  oivn 
time  ;  and  we  can  now  contrast  them  with  advantage. 
Let  us  therefore  look  back,  and  examine  what  have 
been  the  effects  of  each. 

Infidelity  first  caused  a  whole  nation  to  renounce 
Christianity ;  and,  by  natural  consequence,  destroyed 
religious  hope  and  moral  obligation  ;  that  nation,  in¬ 
flamed  with  cupidity  and  lust  of  dominion,  invaded  oth¬ 
er  nations,  deluged  them  with  blood  :  and  at  last  having 
acquired  the  temporal  power,  would,  like  Papal  Rome, 
enslave  the  world,  by  its  despotism.  And  the  principle 
of  its  despotism  is  the  same  ;  namely,  “To  keep  the 
minds  of  men  in  the  chain  of  darkness.”  Thus  do 
Infidelity  and  Superstition  lead  to  the  same  point,  by 
different  ways. 

The  spiritual  Religion  of  Christ  hath,  during  the 
same  period,  produced  very  considerable  effects. 

1.  It  hath  promoted  a  knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scrip¬ 
tures  (the  same  effect  which  was  produced  at  the  Re¬ 
formation,)  and  hath  thereby  cultivated,  to  a  great  ex- 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


351 


tent,  the  principles  of  the  Gospel.  And,  on  this  founda¬ 
tion  hath  been  built  the  practice  of  many  excellent  vir¬ 
tues  (some  of  them  very  seasonable  in  this  age  of  rev¬ 
olution,)  such  as,  subordination,  quiet  conduct,  loyalty, 
and  contentment. 

2.  It  hath  promoted,  the  instruction  of  the  Poor. 
The  number  of  those  among  the  lower  classes,  who 
can  read  the  Scriptures  for  themselves,  is  supposed  to 
have  been  more  than  doubled,  within  the  last  thirty 
years. 

3.  It  hath  promoted  a  more  general  worship  of  God. 
The  volume  of  Praise  and  Thanksgiving  which  rises  to 
the  Most  High  from  voices  in  this  land,  constitutes  an 
acclamation,  compared  to  the  feeble  sound  at  a  period 
not  very  remote. 

4.  It  hath  cultivated  very  extensively  a  critical  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  A  reverence  for  Hebrew 
learning  seems  again  to  be  restored  to  the  nation  ;  for 
persons,  even  in  secular  life,  begin  now  to  study  the  Bi¬ 
ble  in  the  original  Tongues;  as  we  know  was  the  case 
in  a  former  age. 

5.  But  this  revival  of  religion  has  been  productive  of 
another  good,  new  and  extraordinary  in  its  nature  ;  not 
confined  to  this  country,  or  to  the  present  time  ;  but 
extending  to  remote  nations  and  distant  ages. 

Christianity  hath  again,  after  a  lapse  of  many  ages, 
assumed  its  true  character  as  “  the  Light  of  the  world.” 
We  now  behold  it  animated  by  its  original  spirit,  which 
was  to  extend  its  blessings  “  to  all  nations.”  The 
Scriptures  are  preparing  in  almost  every  language, 
and  preachers  are  going  forth  into  almost  every  clime. 
Within  the  period  of  which  we  speak  men  have  heard 
the  Gospel  “  in  their  own  tongue,  wherein  they  were 
born,”  in  India,  throughout  many  of  its  provinces  ; 
in  different  parts  of  Africa  ;  in  the  interior  of  Asia  ; 
in  the  western  parts  of  America  ;  in  New  Holland  ; 
and  in  the  isles  of  the  Pacific  Sea  ;  in  the  West  In¬ 
dies,  and  in  the  northern  regions  of  Greenland  and 
Labrador.  Malays,  Chinese,  Persians,  and  Ara¬ 
bians,  begin  now  to  hear,  or  read,  in  “  their  own 
tongues  the  wonderful  works  of  God,”  Acts  ii,  11. 

III.  It  is  with  propriety  then  that  we  distinguish  the 


352 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


present  period  as  a  Third  Era  of  Light  in  the  Chris¬ 
tian  Dispensation.  Yes,  it  is  true,  that  while  Infi¬ 
delity,  like  the  pillar  of  the  cloud  hanging  over  tl>e 
Egyptians,  Exod.  xiv,  20,  is  rising  in  awful  form, 
threatening  to  involve  the  earth  in  darkness  ;  the  Re¬ 
ligion  of  Christ,  on  the  other  side,  like  “  a  pillar  of 
Eire,”  is  giving  light  to  the  world.  While  Infidelity 
is  prostrating  thrones,  and  forging  chains  for  mankind, 
the  religion  of  the  Messiah  is  diffusing  its  pure  and 
free  spirit,  like  a  copious  stream,  into  the  hearts  of 
men  ;  constraining  them  not  only  to  cultivate  its  moral 
and  benevolent  principles  in  their  own  country,  (where¬ 
by  they  resist  Infidelity  with  the  best  weapons)  but  to 
communicate  them  to  others  ;  and  to  enrich,  with  high¬ 
er  blessings  than  those  of  commerce,  the  most  distant 
climes  and  nations. 

Is  it  asked  why  this  spirit  for  diffusing  religious 
knowledge  did  not  sooner  appear  in  this  nation  ;  for  it 
seems  scarcely  to  have  been  thought  of  at  the  era  of 
the  Reformation  ?  The  desire  was  not  given,  because 
we  had  not  the  means.  Our  commerce  had  not  ex¬ 
tended  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  We  had  no 
Empire  in  the  East.  Another  reason  was,  The  Rom¬ 
ish  Church  held  the  world  in  chains.  Its  superstition 
had  supplanted  us  in  almost  every  region.  But  by  the 
revolution  of  events,  this  obstacle  is  now  nearly  re¬ 
moved. 

It  was  an  opinion  delivered  by  Sir  Isaac  Newton, 
after  the  study  of  the  prophetical  books,  that  the  pow¬ 
er  of  Superstition  which  had  so  long  enslaved  the 
world,  would  at  last  be  broken  by  the  strong  arm  of 
Infidelity.  And  we  have  just  seen  u  this  strong  arm” 
.give  the  last  blow  to  the  temporal  power  of  Rome. 
This  loosens  her  hold  upon  remote  nations.  Now  then 
the  fulness  of  time  for  enlightening  the  Gentiles  seems 
to  be  come,  for  the  obstructions  are  nearly  removed, 
and  the  means  are  granted.  And  no  sooner  are  the 
means  granted,  than  the  desire  is  given  ;  and  thus, 
in  every  age,  the  great  designs  of  the  Almighty  are 
executed  by  the  Sons  of  men. 

But  let  us  now  inquire  by  whom  it  is  that  the  Light 
of  Christianity  is  diffused  throughout  the  heathen 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


553 

world  ?  To  whom  has  been  assigned  the  honor  of  lead¬ 
ing  the  way  in.  this  undertaking  ? 

Our  own  Church  acknowledged  the  object  a  hun¬ 
dred  years  ago,  and  led  the  way.  Two  Societies 
were  incorporated  for  the  purpose  by  the  Royal  sanc¬ 
tion  ;  and  Letters  were  written  by  the  King  of  Great 
Britain  and  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  to  the 
humble  Missionaries  in  the  East,  to  animate,  strength¬ 
en,  and  encourage  them  in  their  important  work.*  ° 
These  Societies  still  exist,  and  prosecute  the  primary 
objects  of  their  institution.  A  mission  in  India  has 
been  supported  by  “  the  Society  for  promoting  Christian 
knowledge”  with  eminent  success  ;  for  it  was  under  its 
patronage  that  the  Apostolic  Swartz  preached  the 
Gospel  to  men  of  “  different  tongues,  kindreds,  and 
nations.” 

But  it  is  evident  that,  at  the  present  time,  missions 
are  conducted  to  a  greater  extent  by  other  societies  than 
by  our  own.  When  the  Gospel  was  first  preached  to 
the  heathen,  our  Saviour  gave  the  commission  to  indi¬ 
viduals  ;  that  is,  they  were  not  associated  by  any  pow¬ 
er  of  temporal  empire.  And  it  would  appear  as  if  it 
were  to  be  promulgated  to  the  Gentiles  a  second  time, 
by  the  same  means.  But  this  is  a  subject  which  will  oc¬ 
cupy  the  serious  attention  of  our  Church. 

T.  he  Chuich  of  Rome  certainly  considered  it  to  be  her 
duty,  as  the  Church  of  Christ,  « to  teach  all  nations.” 
Now  it  has  been  so  ordered  that  the  Church  of  England 
should  possess  at  this  time  a  greater  facility  of  access 
to  the  remotest  nations,  than  Rome  ever  had  in  the  plen¬ 
itude  of  her  power.  While  therefore  we  contemplate 
with  a  benignant  eye  the  laudable  exertions  of  the  sub¬ 
ordinate  Societies,  it  would  well  accord  with  the  dignity 
and  character  of  the  Church  of  England,  to  resume  the 
lead  in  this  work  ;  and,  standing  as  she  does  like  a  Pha¬ 
ros  among  the  nations,  to  be  herself  the  Great  Instru¬ 
ment  of  Light  to  the  world. t 
Let  this  nation  understand  the  voice  of  that  Provi- 

*  See  Letters  in  Appendix. 

ft  *.e  sl"n.^  as  Lights  of  the  world,  holding  forth  the  word 
©i  Life.”  Phil,  u,  16. 

r  f  2 


354 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


•dence  which  hath  exalted  her  to  such  a  height  in  the 
view  of  mankind.  It  saith  in  the  words  of  the  text, 
<c  Let  there  be  Light.”  But  when  we  speak  of  the 
nation,  we  mean  the  Church;  and  the  Voice  of  the 
Church  is  to  be  heard  at  the  Universities.  Is  not 
this  the  University  that  gives  the  light  of  Science  to 
the  world  ?  Let  it  also  give  the  light  of  Religion.  We 
are  proud  to  acknowledge  that  this  Seat  of  Learning 
hath  already  begun  to  diffuse  the  truth  of  Revelation  in 
the  heathen  world.  Some  of  its  members  have  already 
gone  forth  to  the  East.  Men  of  your  own  body,  who 
had  acquired  the  very  highest  honors  in  science,  are 
now  in  that  country  engaged  in  translating  the  Scrip¬ 
tures  into  the  Oriental  languages.  And  it  would  give 
new  ardor  to  their  undertaking,  to  know  that  it  meets 
with  your  countenance  and  approbation. 

But  it  will  be  proper  to  give  some  account  of  the 
darkness  which  exists  in  heathen  lands,  that  our  na¬ 
tion  may  feel  it  her  duty  to  send  forth  the  Light.  For 
it  has  been  asserted  by  some  that  there  is  no  darkness  ; 
at  least  among  the  idolaters  of  India  ;  and  passages  are 
quoted  from  their  ancient  poetry  to  prove  that  their 
morals  are  sublime  and  pure.  It  would  however  ap¬ 
pear  from  passages  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  that  the 
nations  addicted  to  Idolatry  are  not  only  involved  in 
darkness  and  error,  but  live  in  the  commission  of  tur¬ 
pitude  and  crime.  In  the  Old  Testament  it  is  stated, 
that  u  the  dark  places  of  the  earth  are  full  of  the  habi¬ 
tations  of  cruelty  and  that  “  even  their  sons  and  their 
daughters  they  burn  in  the  fire  to  Moloch  ;”t  and  it 
marks  the  prevailing  characters  of  Idolatry  to  be  these 
two,  Cruelty  and  Impurity.  In  the  New  Testament 
the  same  characters  are  assigned  to  it ;  and  are  exem¬ 
plified  in  the  state  both  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans  ; 
of  the  Greeks  in  the  fourth  chapter  to  the  Ephesians,! 
and  of  the  Romans  in  the  first  chapter  of  the  Epistle 

*  Psalm  lxxiv,  20.  f  Deut.  xii,  31. 

+  St.  Paul  writes  to  the  Greeks  at  Epbasus  in  these  words  :  “  I 
pay  therefore,  and  testify  in  the  Lord,  that  ye  henceforth  walk  not 
as  other  Gentiles  walk,  in  the  vanity  of  their  mind,  having-  the 
understanding  darkened  :  who  being-  past  feeling,  have  given 
themselves  over  unto  lasciviousness,  to  work  all  uncleanness  with 
greediness.”  Eph.  iv,  19. 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


355 


which  is  addressed  to  them :  and  this  too  in  the  period 
of  their  learning  and  civilization. 

If,  then,  turpitude  and  crime  marked  the  idolatry  of 
the  enlightened  states  of  Greece  and  Rome,  how- 
much  more  may  we  expect  to  find  them  among  the 
ignorant  and  idolatrous  nations  of  the  present  day  ?  I 
resided  many  years  in  the  heathen  world,  and  was  sat¬ 
isfied,  by  casual  observation,  that  the  character  of  their 
idolatry  corresponded  with  that  which  is  given  in  the 
Scriptures.  I  resolved,  however,  to  visit  the  chief  seat 
of  the  Hindoo  religion,  in  order  to  examine  the  nature 
of  that  Superstition  which  held  so  many  millions  in  its 
chain.  For  this  purpose  I  made  a  journey  to  the 
Great  Temple  of  Juggernaut,  in  the  province  of 
Orissa,  which  is  to  the  Hindoos  (what  Mecca  is  to  the 
Mahomedans,)  the  strong  hold  and  fountain-head  of 
their  idolatry.  I  chose  that  season  of  the  year  when 
there  is  the  celebration  of  the  great  annual  festival 
called  the  Rutt  Jattra. 

On  our  entering  the  province  of  Orissa,  we  were 
joined  by  many  thousands  of  Pilgrims,  who  were  pro¬ 
ceeding  to  the  Festival.  Some  of  these  come  from  re¬ 
mote  regions,  with  their  wives  and  children,  travelling 
slowly  in  the  hottest  season  of  the  year,  and  are  some¬ 
times  upwards  of  two  months  on  their  journey.  Ma¬ 
ny  of  the  Pilgrims  die  by  the  way ;  and  their  bodies 
generally  remain  unburied  ;  so  that  the  road  to  Jugger¬ 
naut  may  be  known  for  the  last  fifty  miles,  by  the  hu¬ 
man  bones  which  are  strewed  in  the  way. 

On  the  great  day  of  the  Festival,  the  Idol  was  brought 
out  amidst  the  acclamations  of  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  his  worshippers.  He  was  seated  on  a  lofty  throne, 
and  surrounded  by  his  Priests.  After  a  short  interval 
of  silence,  we  heard  a  murmur  at  a  distance  among 
the  multitude  ;  and  behold  a  body  of  men,  having  green 
branches  and  palms  in  their  hands,  advanced  with 
great  speed.  The  people  made  way  for  them,  and 
when  they  had  come  up  to  the  throne,  they  fell  down 
before  the  Idol  that  sat  thereon  and  worshipped  ;  and 
the  multitude  again  sent  forth  an  acclamation  “  like  the 
voice  of  a  great  thunder.” 

Tims  the  worship  of  the  Idol  began.  But  on  this 


356 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


subject,  we  cannot  recite  particulars.  Suffice  it  to  say, 
that  this  worship  had  the  two  characters  before 
mentioned.  Men  and  women  devoted  themselves  to 
death  before  Moloch.  I  myself  beheld  the  libations 
of  human  blood.  And  I  merely  give  you  this  short  re¬ 
cord,  because  I  witnessed  the  fact. 

I  feel  it  my  duty  to  state  to  you  that  these  idolaters 
are,  in  general,  our  own  subjects;  and  that  every  man, 
who  can  afford  it,  is  obliged  to  pay  a  tribute  to  the  Eng¬ 
lish  Government  for  leave  to  worship  the  Idol.  This 
is  called  the  Revenue  of  the  Temple  ;  and  a  civil  officer, 
supported  by  a  military  force,  is  appointed  to  collect 
the  Tax.  Other  temples  in  Hindostan  have  long  been 
considered  as  a  legitimate  source  of  a  similar  revenue. 
The  temple  of  Juggernaut  is  now  under  our  own  im¬ 
mediate  management  and  control.  The  law  enacted 
for  this  purpose  is  entitled  “A  regulation  for  levying  a 
Tax  from  Pilgrims  resorting  to  the  Temple  of  Jugger¬ 
naut,  and  for  the  superintendance  and  management  of 
the  Temple:”  passed  by  the  Bengal  Government,  3d 
April,  1806.  It  will  give  me  sincere  pleasure,  if  the 
further  investigation  of  this  subject,  shall  tend  in  any 
degree  to  soften  the  painful  impression  which  the  above 
statement  must  make  on  the  public  mind. 

There  is  another  enormity  of  Hindoo  superstition, 
which  is  well  known  to  you,  and  which  I  need  not 
describe ;  I  mean  the  immolation  of  female  victims  on 
the  funeral  pile.  I  shall  only  observe,  that  the  num¬ 
ber  of  these  unfortunate  persons  who  thus  perish  an¬ 
nually  in  our  own  territories,  is  so  great,  that  it  would 
appear  incredible  to  those  who  have  not  inquired  into 
the  fact.  The  scene  is  indeed  remote  ;  but  these  are 
our  own  subjects,  and  we  have  it  in  our  power  to  re¬ 
dress  the  evil.  There  is  a  time  appointed  by  the  Di¬ 
vine  Providence  (according  to  the  Prophetic  record) 
to  every  nation,  for  its  amelioration  and  felicity.  Such 
a  time  came  to  our  nation,  when  the  light  of  Christian¬ 
ity  visited  it,  for  our  altars  were  once  polluted  by  hu¬ 
man  sacrifices.  The  same  happiness,  we  would  hope, 
is  now  come  for  India.  If  it  should  be  said  that  the 
sacrifice  of  women  cannot  be  abolished,  it  will  be  a 
sufficient  answer  to  state,  that  \vhen  the  Mahomedans 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


357 


were  in  power,  they  did  abolish  it  partly :  and  the 
Brahmins  themselves  have  suggested  means  to  us  by 
whiph,  in  the  course  of  time,  it  may  be  entirely  abol¬ 
ished.  But  the  proper  answer  for  the  present  is  to  ask 
another  question  :  Has  the  subject  ever  been  officially 
inquired  into  ? 

For  many  years  this  nation  was  reproached  for  tol¬ 
erating  the  Slave  Trade.  Many  books  were  written 
on  the  subject :  and  the  attention  of  the  Legislature 
was  at  length  directed  to  it.  Some  asserted  that  the 
abolition  of  it  was  impracticable ,  and  some  that  it  was 
impolitic  ;  but  it  was  found  on  an  investigation  of  the 
traffic,  that  it  was  defended  because  it  was  lucrative  : 
and  a  humane  nation  abolished  it.  But  let  us  ask, 
What  is  there  in  buying  and  selling  men  compared  to 
our  permitting  thousands  of  women,  our  own  subjects, 
to  be  every  year  burned  alive,  without  inquiring  in¬ 
to  the  cause,  and  without  evidence  of  the  necessity  ? 
Or  what  can  be  compared  to  the  disgrace  of  regulat¬ 
ing  by  Christian  law  the  bloody  and  obscene  rites  of 
Juggernaut  ? 

1  he  honor  of  our  nation  is  certainly  involved  in  this 
matter.  But  there  is  no  room  for  the  language  of  crim¬ 
ination  or  reproach  ;  for  it  is  the  Sin  of  ignorance. 
These  facts  are  not  generally  known.  And  they  are 
not  known,  because  there  has  been  no  official  inquiry. 
Could  the  great  Council  of  the  nation  witness  the 
darkness  which  I  have  seen,  there  would  be  no  dissen¬ 
tient  voice  as  to  the  duty  of  giving  light. 

It  is  properl  should  add,  in  justice  to  that  honorable 
body  of  men  who  administer  our  Empire  in  the  East, 
that  they  are  not  fully  informed  as  to  these  facts.* 

But  there  is  a  two-fold  darkness  in  the  East  which  it 
is  proper  to  specify.  There  is  the  darkness  ofpagan- 

*  In  regard  to  the  Idol-Tax,  the  principle  of  the  enormity,  it 
is  said,  has  never  been  fully  explained  to  the  Government  at 
home.  It  was  admitted  by  the  Indian  Government  many  years 
ago  without  reference,  1  believe  in  the  first  instance,  to  England  > 
and  possibly  the  reference  may  now  appear  in  the  books  under 
some  specious  or  general  name,  which  is  not  well  understood. 
The  Honorable  the  Court  of  Directors  will  feel  as  indignant,  on  a 
full  developement  of  the  fact,  as  any  public  body  in  the  nation. 


358 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


ism  ;  and  there  is  the  darkness  of  the  Romish  Super¬ 
stition  in  pagan  lands. 

Christianity,  under  almost  any  modification,  is  cer¬ 
tainly  a  benefit  to  mankind  ;  for  it  prevents  the  perpe¬ 
tration  of  the  bloody  rites  of  Idolatry.  But  the  cor¬ 
rupted  Christianity  to  which  we  allude  has  established 
its  Inquisition  in  the  East,  and  has  itself  shed  blood. 
About  the  time  when  the  Protestant  Bishops  suffered 
in  our  own  country,  the  Bishops  of  the  ancient  Syrian 
Church  became  martyrs  to  the  same  faith  in  India. 
From  that  time  to  this  the  mournful  bell  of  the  Inqui¬ 
sition  has  been  heard  in  the  mountains  of  Hindostan. 
The  inquisitions  in  Europe  have  gradually  lost  their 
power  by  the  increase  of  civilization  ;  but  this  cause 
has  not  operated  equally  in  India,  which  is  yet,  in 
many  parts,  in  a  state  of  barbarism.  Though  the  po¬ 
litical  power  of  the  Romish  Church  has  declined,  its 
ecclesiastical  power  remains  in  India,  and  will  proba¬ 
bly  endure  for  a  long  period  to  come.*  The  Inquisi¬ 
tion  at  Goa  is  still  in  operation,  and  has  captives  in  its 
dungeon. f 

A  Protestant  Establishment  is  wanted  in  our  Em¬ 
pire  in  the  East,  not  only  to  no  honor  to  Christianity 
(for  in  many  places  in  Hindostan  the  natives  ask  wheth¬ 
er  we  have  a  God,  and  whether  we  worship  in  a  Tem¬ 
ple,)  but  to  counteract  the  influence  of  the  ecclesiasti¬ 
cal  power  of  Rome  :  for  in  some  provinces  of  Asia, 
that  power  is  too  strong  for  the  religion  of  Protestants, 
and  for  the  unprotected  and  defenceless  missionaries.!: 

*  Since  the  delivery  of  this  Discourse  I  have  with  pleasure 
observed,  in  the  recent  Treaty  between  his  Majesty  and  the  Prince 
Regent  of  Portugal,  an  article  by  which  that  Prince  engages  that 
the  Inquisition  shall  not  hereafter  be  established  in  the  South 
American  dominions.  Does  not  this  alford  a  reasonable  hope  that 
we  may  ere  long  behold  that  engine  of  Superstition  abolished  in 
Portugal  ? 

f  See  Appendix.  Inquisition  of  Goa. 

4:  The  influence  of  the  Romish  Church  in  India  is  far  greater 
than  is  generally  imagined  ;  or  than  our  Government  has  hither¬ 
to  had  any  means  of  ascertaining.  Though  the  political  power  is 
almost  extinct,  the  religion  remains  in  its  former  vigor.  And  on 
this  fact  is  founded  a  strong  argument  for  the  policy  of  promoting 
the  Christian  Instruction  of  our  native  subjects.  “  Although  the 
Portuguese,  for  instance,  possess  but  little  territory  in  continen- 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


359 


But,  besides  the  tyranny  of  the  Inquisition,  there  is 
in  some  of  the  Romish  provinces  a  corruption  of  Chris¬ 
tian  doctrine  which  is  scarcely  credible.  In  certain 
places  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  Moloch  are  blend¬ 
ed  with  the  worship  of  Christ.* 

It  is  surely  our  duty  to  use  the  means  we  possess  of 
introducing  a  purer  Christianity  into  our  Empire  in 
the  East.f  I  shall  mention  one  circumstance  which 
may  well  animate  our  exertions.  A  large  province  of 
Romish  Christians  in  the  South  of  India,  who  are 
now  our  subjects,  are  w  illing  to  receive  the  Bible  ;  and 
this  too,  under  the  countenance  of  the  Romish  Bishop, 
an  Italian,  and  a  man  of  liberal  learning.  And  Prov¬ 
idence  hath  so  ordered  it,  that  a  translation  of  the 
Scriptures  hath  been  just  prepared  for  them.  This 
Translation  has  been  made  by  the  Bishop  of  the  Syrian 
Church.  Yes,  my  brethren,  a  Bishop  of  the  ancient 
Church  of  Christ  in  India,  has  translated  the  Holy 
Scriptures  into  a  new  language.  That  venerable  man, 
who  did  not  know,  till  lately,  that  there  was  a  pure 
church  in  the  Western  world,  is  now  pressing  before 
many  learned  men  in  the  West,  in  promoting  the  know¬ 
ledge  of  the  religion  of  Christ.:}: 

tal  India,  yet  their  hold  on  the  native  affections  is  incalculably 
stronger  than  that  of  Britain,  though  in  the  zenith  of  her  politi¬ 
cal  power ;  and  were  that  power  to  be  annihilated,  as  that  of  the 
Portuguese  now  is,  it  would  scarcely  be  known,  in  respect  of  any 
hold  which  Britain  has  on  the  native  mind,  that  she  had  ever  set 
foot  in  Tndia.” 

“  This  impolicy  astonishes  those  who  have  acted  with  success 
on  the  opposite  system  A  lloman  Catholic,  high  in  spiritual  au¬ 
thority  in  India,  expressed  his  utter  amazement  that  the  British 
Government  should  not  act  on  a  better  policy  :  and  declared  that, 
in  consequence  of  the  hold  which  Christianity  had  obtained 
through  the  Roman  Church  on  the  minds  of  the  natives  ;  there 
were  seven  millions  of  British  subjects  in  India,  with  whose 
sentiments  he  had  the  means  of  becoming  perfectly  acquainted, 
and  over  whose  minds  he  could  exercise  a  commanding  control.” 

See  Tenth  Annual  Report  of  “  Society  for  Missions  to  Africa 
and  the  East,”  just  published:  containing  the  communications 
of  Sir  Alexander  Johnstone,  Chief  Justice  of  Ceylon,  p.  78. 
*  At  Aughoor,  near  Tritchi nopoly,  and  in  other  places, 
f  See  in  Appendix,  J.etter  of  the  Bishop  of  Landaff,  on  the  ex¬ 
pediency  of  an  Ecclesiastical  Establishment  for  British  India, 
t  See  Appendix.  Account  of  Syrian  Christians 


360 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


We  have  now  taken  a  review  of  three  Eras  of  Light 
in  the  Christian  dispensation.  Do  you  require  further 
evidence  of  this  being  a  Third  Era?  Behold  Societies 
forming  in  every  principal  City  of  Great  Britain  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  the  Bible  to  all  nations !  Do 
you  ask  further  proof  ?  Behold  the  Christian  Church 
beginning,  after  a  delay  of  eighteen  centuries,  to  in¬ 
struct  the  Jew's,  and  to  attempt  the  conversion  of  the 
ancient  people  of  God.  Why  did  not  the  Church  di¬ 
rect  her  attention  sooner  to  this  great  undertaking  ? 
It  was  because  the  Era  of  Light  had  not  arrived. 

This  learned  body  have  it  in  their  power  greatly  to 
promote  the  extension  of  Christianity  among  the  Jews. 
Men  have  begun  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  that  people 
without  giving  them  the  Gospel  in  their  own  lan¬ 
guage.  A  Translation  of  the  New  Testament  into 
the  Hebrew  tongue  would  be  a  gift  worthy  of  our  Uni¬ 
versity  to  present  to  them.  It  must  appear  strange 
to  us,  on  a  retrospect  of  the  fact,  that  during  so  long 
a  period,  Christians  should  have  reproached  the  Jews 
for  not  believing  the  New  Testament,  and  yet  never 
have  put  that  volume  into  their  hands  in  their  own 
language,  that  they  might  know  v'hat  they  were  to 
believe  1*  This  conduct  of  Christians  might  be  called 
an  infatuation ,  were  it  not  prophesied  that  thus  it 
should  be.  They  did  not  think  of  giving  the  Gospel 

*  Translations  of  portions  of  the  New  Testament  into  different 
dialects  of  the  Hebrew  language  have  been  made  by  different  per¬ 
sons  at  different  times  ;  but  these  have  been  rather  intended  as  ex¬ 
ercises  for  the  scholar,  or  for  the  use  of  the  learned,  than  for  the 
use  of  the  Jews.  The  Romish  Church  printed  a  version  of  the 
Gospels  in  Hebrew,  and  the  whole  Syriac  New  Testament  in  the 
Hebrew  character;  but  it  would  not  give  the  book  to  that  people 
who  could  read  it.  In  Spain  and  Portugal  they  condemned  the 
Jew's  to  the  flames,  for  professing  Judaism,  but  they  would  not 
give  them  the  New  Testament  that  they  might  learn  Christianity. 
The  English  Church,  which  has  succee  ded  the  Romish  Church  as 
first  in  influence  and  dignity,  has  not,  as  yet,  given  the  New  Tes¬ 
tament.  to  the  Jew's.  The  Church  of  Scotland  has  not  given  it. 
The  chief  praise  is  due  to  some  of  the  Protestant  divines  in  Univer¬ 
sities  on  the  Continent,  who  published  some  parts  of  the  New  Tes¬ 
tament  in  what  is  call,  d  German  Hebrew,  and  dispersed  copies 
among  the  Jews,  as  they  bad  opportunity.  It  is  encouraging  to 
know  that  even  this  partial  attempt  was  not  without  success. 


THE  ERAS  03?  LIGHT. 


361 


to  a  people  of  whom  the  Prophet  had  said,  a  that  they 
should  be  removed  into  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth 
for  their  hurt,  to  be  a  reproach,  and  a  proverb,  and 
a  taunt,  and  a  curse,”  Jer.  xxiv,  9.  But  we  can  now 
“  speak  comfortably  to  Jerusalem,  and  cry  unto  her 
that  her  wareare  is  accomplished  for  it  is  prophe¬ 
sied  again,  “  That  blindness  in  part  is  happened  to 
Isiael,  until  the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  be  come  in,” 
Rom.  xi,  25.  By  this  prophecy  we  see  that  the  con¬ 
version  of  the  Jews  is  connected  with  that  of  the  Gen¬ 
tiles  :  and  is  to  be,  if  not  contemporaneous,  at  least, 
an  immediate  consequent.  But  the  conversion  of  the 
Gentiles  has  already  commenced ;  and  commenced 
with  most  remarkable  success.  And  now,  behold  the 
preparation  for  the  conversion  of  the  Jews  !  Add  to 
this,  the  Jews  themselves  contemplate  some  change  to 
be  at  hand.  It  is  certainly  true  that  both  among  the 
Jews  in  the  East  and  in  the  West  there  is,  at  this 
time,  an  expectation  of  great  events  in  regard  to  their 
own  nation.  It  is  not  unlike  that  expectation,  which 
pervaded  the  Roman  Empire  before  the  coming  of  the 
Messiah. 

We  are  now  to  notice  a  remarkable  peculiarity  in  all 
these  three  Eras  of  Light. 

In  the  first  Era,  when  our  Saviour  preached  his 
own  Gospel,  and  performed  wonderful  works,  there 
were  some  who  denied  that  the  work  was  from  God  ; 
and  he  was  said  to  be  li  beside  himself ;  and  to  do 
these  works  by  the  power  of  the  prince  of  darkness.” 
But  our  Lord’s  answer  to  them  was  in  these  words, 

I  he  works  that  I  do,  bear  witness  of  me,  that  the 
Father  hath  sent  me,”  John  v,  36.  And  when  the 
Apostle  Paul  preached  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  he  was 
accounted  “  a  fool  for  Christ’s  sake  :  he  was  reviled 
persecuted,  and  defamed,”  1  Cor.  iv,  10.  But  he 
could  appeal  to  the  great  work  which  he  performed 
|;  tne5  deliverance  ot  the  Gentiles  from  darkness  to 

In  the  second  Era,  at  the  Reformation,  Luther  and 
those  other  great  Teachers  whom  God  so  highly  honor¬ 
ed,  were  also  called  Enthusiasts,  and  were  accused  of  a 
flagrant  and  misguided  zeal.  But  «  the  works  which 

G  g 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


562 

they  did”  testified  that  they  were  sent  of  God,  as  Am¬ 
bassadors  of  Christ,  of  which  the  conversion  of  our  own 
nation  is  an  evidence  to  this  day. 

In  the  Third  Era  of  Light,  those  eminent  persons 
who  were  chiefly  instrumental  in  diffusing  it,  were  in 
like  manner  called  Enthusiasts.  But  “  the  works  which 
they  did,  testify  that  they  were  also  Ambassadors  of 
Christ,”  and  “  able  ministers  of  the  New  Testament,’* 
preaching  unto  men  the  doctrine  of  life  ;  of  which,  re¬ 
mote  nations  as  well  as  our  own,  will  bear  witness  at  a 
future  day. 

For  let  us  dispassionately  contemplate  the  works  that 
have  followed  the  revival  of  Religion  in  this  country. 
We  now  stand  at  some  distance,  and  can  survey  the  ob¬ 
ject  in  all  its  parts,  and  in  its  just  proportion.  We  sta¬ 
ted  these  works  to  be, 

1.  An  increased  knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scriptures; 
producing 

2.  A  cultivation  of  the  principles  of  the  Gospel,  and 
the  practice  of  the  virtues  of  subordination,  loyalty,  and 
contentment. 

3.  The  almost  universal  instruction  of  the  poor  :  so 
that  it  may  be  truly  said,  “  The  poor  have  the  Gospel 
preached  to  them.” 

4.  The  more  general  worship  of  God  in  our  land. 

5.  The  publication  of  the  Bible  in  new  languages  ; 
and, 

6.  The  promulgation  of  Christianity  among  all  na¬ 
tions  ;  to  Jews  and  to  Gentiles. 

Are  these  works  of  darkness  ?  Are  they  not  rather 
the  works  which  are  called  in  Scripture  “  the  fruits  of 
the  Spirit  ?”  Let  a  man  beware  how  he  arraigns  or 
contemns  those  works  which  he  may  not  perfectly 
comprehend,  lest  peradventure  he  should  speak  a  word 
against  the  operation  of  God  the  Holy  Ghost.  There 
are  many  at  this  day  who  say  they  believe  in  one  God. 
These  may  be  Deists  and  others.  There  are  many 
who  say  they  believe  in  God  the  Son,  after  a  certain 
manner.  These  may  be  Socinians,  and  Pelagians. 
But  the  true  criterion  oLthe  faith  of  a  Christian  at  this 
day,  is  to  acknowledge  the  continued  influences  of 
God  the  Holy  Ghost.  “  By  this  shall  ye  know  them.” 


THE  ERAS  Of  LIGHT. 


362 


For  the  Apostle  Paul  hath  said,  “  That  no  man  can 
say  that  Jesus  is  the  Lord  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost,” 
1  Cor.  xii,  3.  And  our  Saviour  hath  said  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  shall  abide  with  his  Church  “  tor  ever.”  John 
xiv,  16. 

But  those  who  deny  the  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit;  will  also  deny  the  works  of  the  Spirit.  What 
more  undeniable  work  of  the  Spirit  can  be  visible  in 
the  Church  of  Christ  than  the  sending  forth  preachers 
to  preach  the  everlasting  Gospel  to  the  heathen  world  ? 
What  nobler  or  purer  work  of  righteousness  can  be 
imagined  than  the  giving  the  Holy  Bible  to  all  na¬ 
tions  ?  and  yet  there  are  many  who  behold  both  un¬ 
dertakings  with  indifference,  or  even  hostility.  Oth¬ 
ers  there  are  who,  professing  a  purer  theology,  can¬ 
not  deny  the  truth  and  justice  of  the  principle,  but 
they  argue  against  the  way  :  they  contend  for  the 
old  way  ;  as  if  a  man  should  think  to  evangelize  the 
world  after  the  fashion  of  his  own  parish.  They  say 
they  would  conduct  these  new  a»d  grand  designs  after 
the  old  precedent ;  when  the  truth  is,  there  has  been  no 
precedent  lor  what  is  now  doing,  in  its  present  extent, 
for  nearly  eighteen  centuries  past.  Christ  and  his 
Apostles  established  the  first  and  great  precedent. 

It  may  be  expected  that  those  who  deny  the  con¬ 
tinued  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  Church, 
will  deny  that  the  present  is  an  Era  of  Light.  When 
Christ  came,  who  was  “  the  Light  of  the  world,”  there 
were  many  who  denied  that  any  Light  had  come. 
When  the  Truth  shone  a  second  time  at  the  Reforma¬ 
tion,  there  were  many  who  perceived  it  not.  And 
though  the  bright  beams  of  Light  at  the  present  peri¬ 
od  far  transcend  those  of  the  Reformation,  there  are 
many  who  behold  them  not.  They  wonder  indeed 
to  see  various  Societies,  which  have  no  connexion 
with  each  other,  engaged  in  pursuing  the  same  object. 
They  behold  men  of  different  nations  and  of  different 
languages,  animated  by  the  same  spirit,  promoting  the 
same  design,  encountering  the  same  difficulties,  perse¬ 
vering  with  the  same  ardor,  giving  and  not  receiving, 
expending  money,  time,  and  labor,  in  an  undertaking 
in  which  there  is  no  self-interest  ;  and  all  agreeing 


364 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


in  one  common  voice,  Let  there  be  Light.  All 
this  they  behold,  and  they  wonder :  but  they  do  not 
believe.  And  thus  it  is  written  ;  “  Behold,  ye  despi- 
sers,  and  wonder,  and  perish  ;  for  I  work  a  work  in 
your  days,  a  work  which  ye  shall  in  no  wise  believe, 
though  a  man  declare  it  unto  you,”  Acts  xiii,  41. 

A  violent  but  ineffectual  attempt  was  made  some 
time  ago  to  impede  the  progress  of  this  work.  But 
the  current  was  strong  and  deep,  and  these  momentary 
obstructions  served  merely  to  increase  its  force.  “  There 
is  a  river,  the  streams  whereof  shall  make  glad  the 
city  of  God,”  Psalm  xlvi,  4.  No  human  power  can 
stop  its  course.  Many  who  are  yet  hostile  to  this  un¬ 
dertaking  will  shortly  join  in  it.  We  believe  that  the 
strength  of  the  nation  will  soon  be  with  it :  and  that  all 
hope  of  resisting  it,  entertained  by  unbelieving  men, 
will  be  disappointed.  For  the  prophecy  hath  gone 
forth,  “  He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens  shall  laugh  ;  the 
Lord  shall  have  them  in  derision.  I  will  declare  the 
decree  :  Thou  art  my  Son,  I  shall  give  thee  the  hea¬ 
then  for  thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts 
of  the  earth  for  thy  possession,”  Psalm  ii,  8. 

It  is  of  vast  consequence  to  the  purity  and  perpetu¬ 
ity  of  our  Church  that  those  Students  who  are  prepar¬ 
ing  to  enter  it,  should  have  just  views  on  this  subject. 
There  is  one  fact  which  ought  frequently  to  be  illustra¬ 
ted  to  them,  as  being  the  foundation,  on  which  they 
are  to  form  a  judgment  on  this  and  other  parts  of  the 
divine  dispensation.  It  is  the  following. 

It  is  an  undeniable  truth,  constantly  asserted  by 
Scripture,  and  demonstrated  by  experience,  that  there 
have  ever  been  two  descriptions  of  persons  in  the 
Church.  They  are  denominated  by  our  Saviour,  “  the 
children  of  light  and  the  children  of  this  world  ;”  and 
again,  “  the  children  of  the  wicked  one,  and  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  the  kingdom.”  Matt,  xiii,  38.  These  different 
terms  originate  entirely  from  our  receiving  or  not  re¬ 
ceiving  that  illumination  of  understanding  which  God, 
who  cannot  lie,  hath  promised  to  give  to  them  that 
ask  him.  For  if  a  man  supplicate  the  Father  of  Lights 
for  his  “  good  and  perfect  Gift”  with  a  humble  and  be¬ 
lieving  spirit,  he  will  soon  be  sensible  of  the  effect  in 


the  eras  of  light,' 


365 


his  own  mind.  He  will  begin  to  behold  many  things 
m  a  view  very  different  from  what  he  did  before ;  he 
will  devote  himself  to  the  duties  of  his  profession  with 
alacrity  and  zeal,  as  to  “  a  labor  of  love  ;”  and  his  moral 
conduct  will  be  exemplary  and  pure,  adorning  that 
Oospel  which  he  is  now  desirous  to  preach.  Another 
consequence  will  be  this.  He  will  learn,  for  the  first 
time,  what  is  meant  by  the  reproach  of  the  world, 
r  or  men  in  general  will  not  approve  of  the  piety  and 
punty  of  his  life  ;  and  they  will  distinguish  it  by  some 
term  of  disparagement  or  contempt. 

v  Lam  r^a.re,  that  many  who  have  supplicated  the 
Father  of  Lights  for  “  the  good  and  perfect  gift,”  and 
who  see,  by  the  light  that  is  in  them,  “a  world  lying 
in  wickedness,”  1  John  v,  19,  are  yet  induced  to  con¬ 
ceal  their  sentiments  in  religion,  or  at  least,  are  pre¬ 
vented  horn  assuming  a  decided  character  in  the  pro¬ 
fession  of  it,  from  the  dread  of  reproach.  But  they 
ought  to  remember  that  a  term  of  reproach  has  now 
become  so  general,  and  attaches  to  so  slight  a  degree, 
not  only  of  religious  zeal,  but  of  moral  propriety,  that 
no  man  who  desires  to  maintain  a  pure  character  in  his 
holy  office  needs  to  be  ashamed  of  it.* 

*  Xt  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  names  of  reproach  which 
men  of  the  world  have  given  to  religious  men,  have  been  jrene- 
raUy  derived  from  something  highly  virtuous  or  laudable. 

Believers  were  first  called  Christians,  as  a  term  of  re- 
proaoh,  after  the  name  of  Christ.  They  have  been  since  called 
Pietists  from  their  piety,  Puritans  from  their  purity,  and 
Saints  from  their  holiness.  In  the  present  day,  their  ministers 
are  called  Evangelical,  from  their  desire  to  “  do  the  work 
of  an  Evangelist  ”  See  2  Tim.  iv.  5.  Thus,  the  evil  spirit  in  the 
damsel  who  followed  Paul,  cried  out,  by  an  impulse  which  he 
could  not  resist,  “  1  hese  men  are  the  servants  of  the  most  high 

God,  which  shew  unto  us  the  way  of  salvation.”  Acts  xvi  17 

1  he  most  opprobrious  epithet  which  the  Jews  thought  they  could 
give  our  Saviour,  was  to  call  him  a  Samaritan.  “  Thou  art  a  Sa 
maritan,  and  hast  a  devil,”  John  viii.  48.  But  our  Saviour  ha- 
given  a  permanent  honor  to  the  name,  by  his  parable  of  “  t|  jt 
good  Samaritan.”  1 

The  usual  name  of  religious  reproach  at  this  day  is  Metho¬ 
dist  ;  a  term  first  used  at  Oxford,  and  derived  from  the  meth 
od,  which  some  religious  Students  observed  in  the  employment 
of  their  time.  So  far  it  is  an  honorable  appellation.  It  is  now 
applied  to  any  man  of  pure  and  unaffected  piety,  and  is,  in  short 

G  g  2  ' 


56S 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


But  there  is  another  consideration  for  those  who  are 
ordained  to  be  ministers  of  Christ,  namely,  that  this 
Reproach  seems  to  be  ordained  as  a  necessary  evidence 
in  an  evil  world  that  their  doctrine  is  true.  For  the 
offence  of  the  Cross  will  never  cease.  The  Apostle 
Paul  was  accused  of  being  “  beside  himself ;”  but  his 
only  answer  was  this  ;  “  Whether  we  be  beside  our¬ 
selves,  it  is  to  God  ;  or  whether  we  be  sober,  it  is  for 
your  cause,”  2  Cor.  v.  13.  And  let  this  be  your  an¬ 
swer  also.  If  the  minister  of  Christ  give  no  off  ence  to 
“  the  children  of  this  world,”  he  has  reason  to  suspect 
the  purity  either  of  his  doctrine  or  of  his  practice. 

On  the  other  hand,  a  corrupt  theology  has  no  offence 
and  no  reproach.  You  have  heard  of  a  two-fold  dark¬ 
ness  in  the  East.  There  is  also  a  two-fold  darkness  in 
the  West.  There  is  the  darkness  of  Infidelity,  and  the 
darkness  of  a  corrupt  Theology.  Infidelity  has  slain 
its  thousands  :  but  a  corrupt  Theology  has  slain  its  ten 
thousands. 

Let  every  Student  of  theology  inquire  whether  the 
religion  he  professes  bear  the  true  character.  Instead 
of  shunning  the  reproach  of  Christ,  his  anxiety  ought 
to  be,  how  he  may  prepare  himself  for  that  high  and 
sacred  office  which  he  is  about  to  enter.  Let  him  ex¬ 
amine  himself  whether  his  views  correspond,  in  any 
degree,  with  the  character  of  the  ministers  of  Christ, 
as  recorded  in  the  New  Testament.  “  Woe  is  unto 
me,  if  I  preach  not  the  Gospel,”  1  Cor.  ix,  16.  Even 
the  Old  Testament  arrests  the  progress  of  the  unquali¬ 
fied  and  worldly-minded  teacher.  It  is  recorded  that 
when  Dathan  and  Abiram  invaded  the  priest’s  office, 
with  a  secular  spirit,  “the  earth  opened  her  mouth  and 
swallowed  them  up,”  in  the  presence  of  Israel.  This 

another  term  for  a  Christian.  Of  the  Methodists  Paley  says, 
in  his  Evidences  of  Christianity,  that  in  regard  to  piety  to  God, 
and  purity  of  life,  they  may  be  compared  io  “  the  primitive  Chris¬ 
tians.”  The  name  JYIethoilist  in  England  was,  for  a  time,  as  dis¬ 
reputable  as  RoyalLt  in  France  And  indeed  there  is  an  analogy 
in  the  character  ;  for  Methodism  implies  Loyalty  to  “  the  KmgcJf 
kings.”  And  I  am  happy  to  add,  in  regard  to  that  numerous  body 
of  our  fellow  subjects  who  are  called  by  that  name,  that  it  also 
implies,  after  an  experience  ofhalf  a  century,  pure  loyalty  to 
an  earthly  Sovereign- 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


367 


was  written  “  for  our  admonition,”  that  no  man  should 
attempt  to  minister  in  holy  things  until  he  has  cleansed 
his  heart  from  the  impurities  of  life  ;  and  is  able  to  pub¬ 
lish  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  with  unpolluted  lips. 

If  the  Student  desire  that  God  would  honor  his  fu¬ 
ture  ministry,  and  make  him  an  instrument  for  pre¬ 
serving  the  unity  of  the  Church,  instead  of  his  being 
an  instrument  of  secession  from  it,  he  will  seek  to 
understand  that  pure  doctrine  of  which  our  Lord 
speaks,  when  he  saith,  “  He  that  will  do  the  Will  of 
God  shall  know  of  the  doctrine  whether  it  be  of  God.” 
This  is  an  Era  of  Light  in  the  Church.  Men  are  ar¬ 
dent  to  hear  the  word  of  God.  And  if  a  thousand 
churches  were  added  to  the  present  number,  and  “  en¬ 
lightened  by  the  doctrine  of  the  Evangelist  John,”  they 
would  all  be  filled.  Those  who  preach  that  doctrine 
are  the  true  defenders  of  the  Faith,  and  the  legiti¬ 
mate  supporters  of  the  Church  of  England.  If  these 
increase,  the  Church  will  increase.  If  these  increase 
in  succeeding  years  in  the  same  proportion  as  they 
have  hitherto  done,  it  is  the  surest  pledge  that  the 
Church  is  to  flourish  for  centuries  to  come,  as  she  has 
flourished  for  centuries  past.  And  there  is  nothing 
which  forbids  the  hope  that  &he  will  be  PERPETUAL  ; 
if  she  be  the  ordained  Instrument  of  giving  Light  to 
the  world. 

I  shall  now  conclude  this  discourse  with  delivering 
my  testimony  concerning  the  spiritual  religion  of 
Christ.  I  have  passed  through  a  great  part  of  the 
world,  and  have  seen  Christianity,  Judaism,  Mahom- 
edanism,  and  paganism  in  almost  all  their  forms  ;  and 
I  can  truly  declare,  that  almost  every  step  of  my  pro¬ 
gress  afforded  new  proof  not  only  of  the  general  truth 
of  the  religion  of  Christ,  but  of  the  truth  of  that  change 
of  heart  in  true  believers  which  our  Lord  describes  in 
these  words,  “  Born  of  the  Spirit ;”  and  which  the  Evan¬ 
gelist  John  calls,  “Receiving  an  unction  from  the  Ho¬ 
ly  One.”  For  even  the  heathens  shew  in  their  tradi¬ 
tions  and  religious  ceremonies,  vestiges  of  this  doc¬ 
trine.*  Every  thing  else  that  is  called  religion,  in  Pa- 

*  See  The  Star  in  the  East. 


368 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


gan  or  Christian  lands,  is  a  counterfeit  of  this.  This 
change  of  heart  ever  carries  with  it  its  own  witnesses; 
and  it  alone  exhibits  the  same  character  among  men  of 
every  language  and  of  every  clime.  It  bears  the  fruit 
of  righteousness  ;  it  affords  the  highest  enjoyment  of 
life  which  was  intended  by  God,  or  is  attainable  by 
man  ;  it  inspires  the  soul  with  a  sense  of  pardon  and  of 
acceptance  through  a  Redeemer :  it  gives  peace  in 
death  ;  and  “  a  sure  and  certain  hope  of  the  resurrection 
unto  eternal  life.” 

Let  every  man  then,  who  hath  any  doubt  in  his 
mind  as  to  this  change  in  the  state  of  the  soul  in  this 
life,  apply  himself  to  the  consideration  of  the  subject. 
For  if  there  be  any  truth  in  revelation,  this  is 
true.  “  What  shall  it  profit  a  man,  if  he  gain  the  whole 
world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?”  What  avails  it  that  all 
the  treasures  of  science  and  literature  are  poured  at 
our  feet,  if  we  are  ignorant  of  ourselves,  of  Christ,  and 
holiness  ?  The  period  is  hastening  which  will  put  an 
end  to  this  world  and  all  its  distinctions  ;  which,  like  a 
flood,  will  sweep  away  its  applause  and  its  frown,  its 
learning  and  its  ignorance.  The  awful  glories  of  the 
last  judgment  will,  ere  long,  appear  ;  when  the  humble 
and  penitent  inquirer  who  has  received  by  faith  that 
stupendous  Grace  which  the  doctrine  of  Christ  reveals, 
shall  be  eternally  saved ;  while  the  merely  speculative 
student  whose  secret  love  of  sin  led  to  the  rejection  of 
that  doctrine,  shall,  notwithstanding  his  presumption  of 
final  impunity,  be,  for  ever,  undone. f 

I  cannot  permit  myself  to  conclude,  without  expres¬ 
sing  my  thanks  for  the  very  candid  attention  with  which 
you  have  been  pleased  to  honor  these  discourses.  I  trust 
that  every  word  hath  been  spoken  with  a  just  deference 
for  the  learned  assembly  before  whom  I  preach  for  I 
greatly  covet  your  approbation,  and  I  hope  that  I  shall 
obtain  it.  But  I  have  a  solemn  account  to  render  ;  for 
I  have  had  many  opportunities.  And  I  desire  to  say 
that,  now,  which  my  conscience  shall  approve,  at  that 
hour  when  I  shall  be  called  to  give  an  account  of  my 
stewardship. 

I  pray  that  “  the  Spirit  of  truth,”  which  our  Saviour 


*  Forbes. 


THE  ERAS  OF  LIGHT. 


369 


promised  should  abide  with  his  people  for  ever,  may 
manifest  his  power  amongst  us,  dispels  the  darkness  of 
ignorance  and  error,  and  “  guide  our  minds  into  all 
Truth,”  John  xvi,  13. 

To  this  Holy  Spirit,  wrho,  together  with  the  Father 
and  the  Son,  is  One  God,  be  ascribed  all  honor  and  glo¬ 
ry,  power,  might,  majesty,  and  dominion,  now  and  ever¬ 
more.  Amen. 


Dr.  KERR’s  REPORT. 


—0+0 - 

ECCLESIASTICAL  ANTIQUITIES  IN  INDIA. 

[We  have  been  favoured  by  a  respectable  correspondent  in  India, 
with  a  copy  of  a  Report',  presented  by  a  pious  clergyman,  at 
the  request  of  the  Governor  of  Madras,  concerning  the  state  of 
the  ancient  Christians  in  Cochin  and  Travancore.  This  Report 
is  so  curious  and  so  interesting,  that  we  shall  give  the  whole  of 
it  to  our  readers,  assured  that  they  will  esteem  it,  as  we  do,  a 
most  valuable  and  important  document.] 

London  Evangelical  Magazine. 

REPORT  of  the  Senior  Chaplain  of  Fort  St.  George,  to  the  Right 
Honourable  Lord  William  Bentinck,  Governor  of  Madras,  on 
the  state  of  the  chrisMans  inhabiting  the  kingdoms  of  Cochin,  and 
Travancore,  undertaken  by  order  of  the  supreme  government 
of  Bengal. 

“  Public  Department. 

“  To  the  Rev.  Dr.  Kerr,  Senior  Chaplain  of  Fort  St.  George . 

"  Rev.  Sir, 

“  The  Right  Honourable  the  Governor  in  Council,  being  de« 
“  sirous  of  availing  himself  of  your  vicinity  to  the  Malabar  coast, 
“  to  obtain  every  possible  information  in  regard  to  the  establish- 
“  ment,  &c.  of  the  Christian  Religion  in  that  part  of  the  peninsula, 
“  I  am  directed  by  his  lordship  in  council,  to  desire  that  so  soon 
“  as  the  state  of  your  health  and  the  season  will  permit,  you  will 
“  proceed  to  the  provinces  on  that  coast ;  and  you  will  forward  to 
“  me,  for  the  information  of  government,  such  accounts  as  you 
**  may  be  able  to  collect,  of  the  first  introduction  of  Christianity 
“  into  India — of  the  arrival  of  the  different  sects  who  have  been, 
“  or  may  be,  in  existence — of  their  general  history,  and  of  the  per- 
“  secutions  to  which  they  may  have  been  exposed — of  their  suc- 
**  cess  in  making  proselytes— of  their  church-establishment,  and  of 
**  the  source  from  which  they  are  maintained,  and  with  all  other 
“  circumstances  connected  with  this  important  subject. 

“  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  Rev.  Sir, 

“  Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 
c Signed )  G.  G.  KEBLE, 

Sec.  to  Government. 


Fort  St.  George,  June  28,  1806.” 


dr.  kerr’s  report. 


ow  1 
O  (  1 

“  To  the  Right  Honourable  Lord  William  C.  Bentinck,  Governor  in 

Council,  &c.  Uc. 

“  My  Lord, 

“  When  at  Mysore,  I  was  honoured  by  the  receipt  of  Mr.  sec¬ 
retary  Ke Die’s  letter,  dated  the  28th  June  last ;  and  finding  my  gen¬ 
eral  health  much  improved,  I  resolved  to  proceed  to  the  Malabar 
coast, _  in  search  of  the  information  required  by  your  lordship  in 
council,  regarding  the  Christians  inhabiting  that  part  of  the  penin¬ 
sula:  an  investigation  which  I  have  found  as  interesting  as  it  is 
important,  whether,  it  regards  humanity  at  large,  or  as  it  is  con¬ 
nected,  in  a  political  view,  with  the  British  interests  in  this  coun¬ 
try. 

“  To  view  the  extensive  field  pointed  out  for  my  inquries  mi¬ 
nutely,  would  require  much  more  of  my  time  than  could  be  well 
spared  from  my  other  public  avocations  ;  and  as  I  learned  that  the 
Rev.  Dr  Buchanan  was  nominated  by  the  government  of  Bengal, 
to  travel  over  the  same  ground,  for  purposes  somewhat  similar,  I 
did  not  think  it  incumbent  on  me  to  take  up  more  than  a  general 
view  of  the  subject,  and  I  directed  my  attention  accordingly  not 
so  much  to  details  as  to  matters  of  comprehensive  import. 

The  first  object  to  which  the  orders  of  government  refer,  is  to 
an  account  of  the  introduction  of  Christianity  into  this  country. 

.  “  There  can  be  no  doubt  whatever,  that  the  St.  Thome  Chris- 
tians  settled  on  the  Malabar  coast  at  a  very  early  period  of  the 
Christian  church ;  from  whence  they,  at  one  time,  spread  in  various 
directions  as  far  even  as  Mileapoor,  and  St.  Thomas’s  Mount ;  but 
to  derive  authentic  information  as  to  the  time  of  their  arrival,  is  at 
present  no  easy  task 

“  From  the  confusion  arising  from  the  imperfection  of  Hindoo 
chronology,  from  the  desire  which  these  Christians  have  to  derive 
their  origin  from  the  earliest  possible  times,  (which  may  perhaps 
have  introduced  false  traditions  amongst  them,)  and  as  all  their 
authentic  records  are  reported  to  have  been  destroyed  during  the 
persecutions  of  the  church  of  Rome  ;  from  all  these  circumstances, 
whether  we  refer  to  the  Hindoo  accounts,  to  the  St  Thome  Chris¬ 
tians  themselves,  or  to  their  persecutors,  the  Roman  Catholics,  we 
are  not  likely  to  arrive  at  any  certain  conclusion  as  to  the  exact 
time  of  their  establishment  in  Malabar.  Some  circumstances, 
however,  may  be  collected  from  undoubted  authority  by  which  it 
may  be  inferred,  that  they  have  been  for  nearly  fifteen  centuries 
established  in  India  ;  for  we  find,  in  ecclesiastical  history,  that  at 
the  first  council  at  Nice,  in  the  year  325,  a  bishop  from  India  was 
amongst  the  number  composing  tli at  memorable  synod ;  and,  in 
tnc  cieeds  and  doctrines  ot  the  Christians  of  Malabar,  internal  evi¬ 
dence  exists  of  their  being'  a  primitive  church  ;  for  the  supremacv 
of  the  Pope  is  denied,  and  the  doctrine  of  Transubstantiation  nev¬ 
er  has  been  held  by  them  :  and  they  regarded,  and  still  regard  the 
worship  of  images  as  idolatrous,  and  the  doctrine  of  purgatory  to 
be  fabulous  :  moreover  they  never  admitted  as  sacraments  extreme 
unction,  marriage,  or  confirmation  :  all  which  facts  may  besubstan- 


DR.  KERR’S  REPORT. 


O  l 

tiated  on  reference  to  the  acts  of  the  synod  established  by  Don 
Alexis  de  Meneses,  archbishop  of  Goa,  at  Udiamper,  in  the  year 
1599. 

"  The  history  of  this  council  will  be  found  most  ably  detailed 
in  a.  work  printed  in  French,  and  entitled,  “  The  history  of  Chris¬ 
tianity  in  India,”  published  at  the  Hague,  in  the  year  1724,  by  La 
Croze,  thecelebrated  librarian  to  the  King  of  Prussia. 

“  The  object  of  this  work  was  to  deduce,  from  authentic  ma¬ 
terials,  the  rise,  progress,  and  establishment  of  Christianity  in  the 
East ;  and  to  hold  up  to  disgrace,  and  to  merited  indignation,  the 
bigoCed  and  unworthy  conduct  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  in 
the  persecution  set  on  foot  by  her  emissaries,  under  her  avowed 
sanction,  against  the  primitive  Christians,  who  were  found  settled 
on  the  coast  of  Malabar  ;  and  La  Croze  seems  to  have  discharged 
his  duty  to  the  public  in  a  most  faithful,  interesting,  and  able 
manner. 

“  When  the  Portuguese  first  arrived  in  this  country,  in  the  be¬ 
ginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  they  found  a  Christian  church 
using  the  Syrio-Chaldaic  language,  established  in  the  neighbour¬ 
hood  of  Cranganore  ;  and,  though  it  was  published  to  the  world 
many  centuries  before  that  period,  that  such  a  church  existed,  yet 
we  find  their  ignorance  expressed  in  the  wonder  which  it  excited. 

“  These  Christians  met  the  Portuguese  as  natural  friends  and 
allies,  and  rejoiced  at  their  coming ;  but  the  Portuguese  were 
much  disappointed  at  finding  the  St.  Thome  Christians  firmly  fix¬ 
ed  in  the  tenets  of  a  primitive  church  ;  and  soon  adopted  plans 
for  drawing  away  from  their  pure  faith  this  innocent,  ingenuous, 
and  respectable  people  :  however,  after  using  for  nearly  a  centu¬ 
ry,  all  the  customary  arts  and  abominable  persecutions  of  the 
church  of  Rome  to  no  purpose,  Don  Alexis  de  Meneses,  the  arch¬ 
bishop  of  Goa,  appeared  amongst  them;  and,  by  his  command¬ 
ing  influence,  his  zeal,  and  his  learning,  and  on  the  authority 
of  what  he  called  the  council  of  Udiamper,  forced  the  Syrian 
Metropolitan,  his  priests,  and  people,  into  the  Roman  pale.  The 
archbishop,  however,  had  not  long  quitted  the  scene  of  this  tri¬ 
umph  of  bigotry,  ere  the  people  sighed  for  their  old  religion, 
and  cherished  it  in  private  ;  but  on  the  22d  of  May,  1653,  they 
held  a  Congress  at  Alingatte,  and  great  numbers,  headed  by  their 
Metropolitan,  revolted  publicly  from  the  Romish  communion  ; 
nor  has  all  the  influence  of  the  Roman  Pontiff,  and  the  kings  of 
Portugal,  been  able  to  draw  them  away  again  from  their  old 
faith. 

“  Leaving  the  history  of  this  interesting  people,  which  is  af- 
fectingly  delineated  in  La  Croze’s  book,  I  shall  in  this  report,  con¬ 
fine  myself  more  particularly  to  the  existing  state  of  Christianity 
in  Malabar;  and,  in  order  that  your  lordship  may  have  the  sub¬ 
ject  clearly  before  you,  I  shall  consider  each  sect  of  Christians 
by  itself,  under  the  head  of,  1st,  St.  Thome,  or  Jacobite  Christians; 
— 2dly,  The  Syrian  Catholics,  who  have  been  forcedfrom  the  Jac¬ 
obite  Church  into  the  lioHlish  pale;  and,  3dly,  The  Latin  Church. 


Bit.  KERRIS  REPORT. 


373 


St.  Thome,  or  Jacobite  Christians. 

tc  These  people,  who  still  retain  their  ancient  creed  and  usage$» 
consider  themselves  as  the  descendants  of  the  flock  established 
by  St.  Thomas,  who  is  generally  esteemed  the  Apostle  of  the 
East..  Their  ancestors  emigrated  from  Syria,  and  the  Syrio-Chal- 
daic  is  the  language  in  which  their  church  service  is  still  per¬ 
formed.  They  admit  no  images  within  their  churches,  but  a  fig. 
ure  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  with  the  child  Jesus  in  her  arms,  which 
is  considered  merely  as  an  ornament,  and  not  a  subject  for  adol- 
atrous  worship  They  are  generally  denominated  by  the  country- 
people,  Nazaranee  Mapiiles.  Naz&ranee  is  obviously  derived 
from  iMazaretu  ;  but  the  origin  of  the  word  JWapillah  is  variously 
accounted  for;  by  some  it  is  ingeniously  supposed  to  refer  to  the 
Virgin  and  Child,  the  only  image  admitted  within  their  churches ; 
as  J/a  implies  Mother,  in  various  languages,  derived  from  the 
Shanscnt ;  and  Pillah,  Child.  Others  again,  construe  the  term 
to  indicate  the  rank  originally  conferred  on  these  Christians  by 
the  sovereign  of  Malabar.  Poolali  signifies  a  class,  in  a  state  sy¬ 
nonymous  with  our  secretaries.  Ma  or  JMaha  signifies  preat  or 
superior.  The  term  Mapillah  is  indiscriminately  applied  to  Jews 
and  Musselmen  as  to  these  Christians,  distinguishing  each  by  the 
prehx  of  the  Jew,  Syrian,  or  Nazarenee,  or  Musselman. 

It  is  certain  that  grants  of  honour  and  emolument  were  former¬ 
ly  possessed  by  these  Christians,  given  to  them  by  a  king  of  Mal¬ 
abar,  named  Peremaul,  engraven  on  copper,  five  of  which  enerav- 
mgs  are  still  in  existence  ;  a  facsimile  of  which  I  have  seen  in  the 
possession  of  the  Resident  of  Traveneore. 

“  It  has  been  long  believed,  that  these  Christians  held  the  te¬ 
nets  of  the  Nestonan  heresy,  and  that  they  were  obliged  to  leave 
their  own  country  in  consequence  of  persecution  :  however  it  ac- 
pears  that  the  creed  which  thev  now  follow  denies  that  heresy 
and  seems  to  coincide  in  several  points  with  the  creed  of  Sr* 
Athanasius,  but  without  its  damnatory  clauses, 

“  Baron  Von  Wrede  has  written  a  memoir  on  the  subject  of 
diese  Christians  which  appeared  in  the  7th  volume  of  the  Asiatic 
Researches,  and  which  has  the  merit  of  calling  our  attention  to 
t  n  se  people  ,  though  it  is  no  better  than  a  lame  transcript  of  infer 
mat  mn  which  may  be  fully  and  satisfactorily  obtained  in  LaCroze’s 
book,  from  whence  every  material  part  of  that  memoir  is  obviously 
taken;  indeed,  wherever  the  Baron  departs  from  his  au  hor  hi 
becomes  less  interesting,  or  misleads  his  reader.  That  the  chris! 
turns  in  Malabar  were  early  taught  the  tenets  of  Nc-storius  is 
proved  by  La  Croze,  on  the  direct  authority  of  Cosmas,  an  Egyn- 
t  .an  merchant,  (himself  a  Nestorian,)  who  published  hi.  voyaife  L 
India  m  the  year  547  It  seems,  however^  not  improblbfe '  ,hit 
Christians  had  been  planted  in  these  shores,  long  before  the  time 
f  Nestorius ,  and,  1  am  inclined  to  regard  the  tradition  of  its  ha¬ 
il  h 


374  DR.  KERIt’s  REPORT.' 

ving  spread  hither  in  the  age  of  the  Apostles,  as  very  far  from 
fabulous.* 

“  With  respect  to  their  religious  tenets,  writers  may  and  will 
disagree  :  upon  such  subjects  human  reason  avails  nothing  The 
disputes  which  on  these  points  have  agiled  the  world,  are  in  gen¬ 
eral  no  better  than  the  perverse  offspring  of  verbal  differences. 

“  The  following  is  a  version  of  the  present  creed  of  these  peo¬ 
ple,  being  a  written  communication  from  the  Metropolitan  to  the 
Resident  at  Travancore  : 

“  In  the  name  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  We,  the 
“  Christians,  believers  in  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  subject  to 
“  the  Jurisdiction  of  Mar  Ignatius,  patriarch  of  Antioch,  being 
“  loyalf  Jacobians,  hold  the  following  creed  : 

“  We  believe  in  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  three  persons 
“  in  one  God,  neither  confounding  the  persons,  nor  dividing  the 
“  substance,  one  in  three,  and  three  in  one. 

“  The  Father  generator, — the  Son  generated, — and  the  Holy 
“  Ghost  proceeding’. 

“  None  is  before  nor  after  other  in  Majesty,  honour,  might,  and 
,f  power  ;  co-equal,  unity  in  trinity,  and  trinity  in  unity. 

"  We  do  not  believe  with  Aerius  and  Eunomius,  that  there  are 
“  three  different  and  separate  substances 

“  We  do  not  believe,  as  Sabellius  believes,  by  confusion  of  sub* 
“  stance. 

“  We  do  not  believe,  as  Macedonius  said,  that  the  Holy  Ghost 
“  is  less  than  the  Father  and  Son. 

“  We  do  not  believe,  as  Mawney  andi:  Marcianus  said,  that  the 
“  body  of  Christ  was  sent  down  from  heaven. 

“  We  do  not  believe,  as  Julianus§  said,  that  Christ  was  only 
“  man. 

*  Eusebius  informs  us,  that  there  were  Christians  in  India  as  early  as  the  year  183, 
who  had  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew  in  Hebrew,  which  they  declared  was  received 
from  St.  Bartholomew. 

+  Eastern  Christians,  who  renounce  the  communion  of  the  Greek  church,  who 
differ  from  it  both  in  doctrine  and  worship,  may  be  comprehended  under  two  distinct 
classes.  To  the  former  belong  the  Monophysites  or  Jacobites,  so  called  from  Jacob 
Albardai,  who  declare  it  as  their  opinion,  that  in  the  Saviour  of  the  world  there  is  on¬ 
ly  one  nature  ;  while  the  latter  comprehends  the  followers  of  Nestorius,  frequently 
called  Chaldeans,  fr6m  the  country,  where  they  principally  reside,  and  who  suppose 
that  there  are  two  distinct  persons  or  natures  in  the  Son  of  God.  The  Monophysites 
arc  subdivided  into  two  sects  or  parties,  the  one  African  and  the  other  Asiatic.  At 
the  head  of  the  Asiatics  is  the  patriarch  of  Antioch,  w  ho  resides  for  the  most  part  in 
the  monastry  of  St.  Ananias,  which  is  situated  near  the  city  of  Merdin,  and  sometimes 
at  Merdin,  his  Episcopal  seat  ;  as  also  at  Amida.  Aleppo,  and  other  Syrian  cities. 
The  government  of  this  prelate  is  too  extensive,  and  the  churches  over  which  he  pre¬ 
sides  too  numerous,  to  admit  of  his  performing  himself  all  the  duties  of  his  high  of¬ 
fice  ;  and.  therefore,  a  part  of  the  administration  of  the  pontificate  is  given  to  a  bind 
of  colleague,  who  is  called  the  Maphrain,  or  Primate  of  the  East,  and  whose  doctrines 
and  discipline  are  said  to  he  adopted  by  the  eastern  church  beyond  the  Tigris  This 
primate  used  formerly  to  reside  at  Tauris,  a  city  on  the  frontiers  of  Armenia:  but 
his  present  habitation  is  the  monastry  of  St.  Matthew,  which  is  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Monsul,  a  city  of  Mesopotamia.  It  is  further  observable,  that  all  the  patriarchs  of 
the  Jacobites  assume  the  denomination  of  Ig'natius  —Moslteim.  vol.  4.  Seaton  si.  Vage 
257. 

t  These  I  sunnose  might  be  Manes  and  Marci&n, 

y  Perhaps  Julian,  Bishop  of  Halicarnassus. 


DR.  KERR’s  REPORT. 


5  75 


<!  We  do  not  iiold,  as  Nestorius,  the  doctrine  of  two  natures,  and 
two  substances  in  the  Messiah. 

“  We  do  not  believe  as  the  Chalcedonians  said,  that  there  are 
two  natures  in  the  Messiah. 

((  “  IJ,U  we  believe  by  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  that  the  Son  is 
‘  coequal  with  the  Father,  without  beginning-  or  end — that  in  the 
‘‘  appointed  time,  through  the  disposition  of  the  Father  and  Holy 
Ghost,  without  disjoining  from  the  right  side  of  the  Father,  he 
appeared  on  earth  for  the  salvation  of  mankind — that  he  was 
born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  through  the  means  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
„  a"d  was  incarnate,  God  and  man.  So  that  in  the  union  of  the 
divine  and  human  nature,  there  was  one  nature  and  one  substance. 
**  So  we  believe  ” 


I  lie  service  in  their  church  is  performed  verv  nearly  after  the 
manner  of  the  church  of  England  :  and  when  the  Metropolitan  was 
told  that  it  was  hoped  that  one  day  an  union  might  take  place  be- 
tween  the  two  churches,  he  seemed  pleased  at  the  suggestion. 

The  present  Metropolitan  Mar  Dionisius,  is  now  old  and  in. 
firm,  bat  a  very  respectable  character,  and  of  the  most  venerable 
and  prepossessing  appearance.  A  person  has  been  sent  from 
Mousul.a  city  m  Mesopotamia, to  succeed  to  his  station,  in  the  event 
of  lus  decease;  but  this  stranger,  ignorant  of  the  language  of  the 
country,  with  the  character  of  being  violent  in  his  temper?  and  not 
averse,  as  it  is  supposed,  to  the  views  of  the  Romish  church,  it  is 
to  be  hoped,  will  be  prevented  from  ever  taking  charge  of  this  pre¬ 
cious  remnant  of  a  pure  and  valuable  people. 

_  “  The  Metropolitan  has  several  archdeacons  and  deaeous  under 
lum,  who  act  as  Vicar-Generals.  They  have  fifty-five  churches  - 
and  the  number  of  their  people,  as  given  in  to  the  Resident,  is  esti¬ 
mated  at  23,000. 


‘‘  Ihe  residence  of  their  Metropolitan  is  at  Candenatte,  twelve 
or  fourteen  miles  inland  from  Cochin.  In  seme  of  their  churches 
divine  service  is  performed  in  the  Syrian  and  Latin  ritual  alter- 
nately  by  the  priests  of  the  Christians  of  St.  Thome,  who  have  ad- 
SA  ancient  rites,  and  those  who  have  been  united  to  the 
chuich  of  Rome.  When  the  latter  have  celebrated  mass,  they 
carry  away  the  images  from  the  church  before  the  others  enter.  7 
The  character  of  these  people  is  marked  by  a  striking  superi- 
onty  over  the  Heathens  in  every  moral  excellence  ;  and  they  are 
l  emarkable  for  their  veracity  and  plain  dealing.  They  are  extr  eme - 

Lt  P  ,  1;ell£',?US  duties’  and  abide  b>  the  decision  of 

then  Pi  lests  and  Metropolitan  in  all  cases,  whether  in  spiritual,  or, 

as  I  heard,  in  temporal  affairs.  They  are  respected  very  highly  by 
the  Nairs,  who  do  not  consider  themselves  defiled  by  associating 
with  them,  hough  it  is  well  known  that  the  Nairs  are  the  most  par? 
ticulai  of  all  the  Hindoos  in  this  respect ;  and  the  Rajahs  of  Travan. 


CkrisUaa  1£,Jerality  5  very  m*ient 


276 


DR.  KERR’S  REPORT. 


core  and  Cochin,  admit  them  to  rank  next  to  Nairs.  Their  num¬ 
bers,  it  is  conjectui’ed,  are  under-rated  in  the  statement  given  to 
the  resident,  as  it  is  generally  supposed  that  they  may  be  estimated 
at  70  or  80,000.  They  are  not  persecuted  ;  but  they  are  not  per¬ 
mitted  to  make  converts,  by  the  governments  under  which  they  re¬ 
side  ;  and  it  is  supposed,  that  many  respectable  Hindoos  would  be 
happy  to  join  their  sect,  were  it  not  for  this  circumstance  but  at 
present  they  suffer,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  no  other  hardship. 

“  If  good  men  from  Syria  could  be  obtained,  not  as  parish  priests, 
but  to  superintend  and  regulate  their  concerns,  I  conceive  it  would 
be  a  great  blessing  to  these  good  people. 

“  The  direct  protection  of  the  British  government  has  been  al¬ 
ready  extended  to  them;  but  as  they  do  not  reside  within  the 
British  territories,  I  am  some  what  doubtful  how  far  it  may  be  of 
use  to  them. 

“To  unite  them  to  the  church  of  England,  would,  in  my  opin¬ 
ion,  be  a  most  noble  work  ;  and  it  is  most  devoutly  to  be  wished 
for,  that  those  who  have  been  driven  into  the  Roman  pale  might  be 
recalled  to  their  ancient  church  ;  a  measure  which  it  would  not, 
I  imagine,  be  difficult  to  accomplish,  as  the  country  governments 
would,  it  is  supposed,  second  any  efforts  to  that  purpose. 

“  Their  occupations  are  various  as  those  of  other  Christians  ; 
but  they  are.  chiefly  cultivators  and  avtizans  ;  and  some  of  them 
possess  a  comfortable,  if  not  a  splendid  independence.  Their 
clergy  marry  in  the  same  manner  as  Protestants.  Their  resi¬ 
dence  is  entirely  inland. 

Syrian  Homan  Catholics. 

“  These  people,  as  stated  above,  were  constrained  to  join  the 
Latin  church,  after  a  long  struggle  for  the  power  of  maintaining* 
their  purity  and  independence  ;  and  still  appear  a  people  perfectly 
distinct  from  the  Latin  church,  being  allowed  to  chant  and  per¬ 
form  all  the  services  of  the  church  of  Rome  in  the  Syrio-Chaldaic 
language  by  a  dispensation  from  the  Pope.  They  live  under 
the  authority  of  the  Metropolitan  of  Cranganore  and  the  Bishop 
of  Yerapoli,  and  dress  differently  from  other  priests.  They  wear 
a  white  surplice,  while  the  priests  of  the  Latin  communion  wear 
black  gowns,  like  the  Capuchin  friars  of  Madras.  The  Roman 
Catholic  Syrians,  it  is  thought,  are  much  more  numerous  than  the 
members  of  the  original  church.  Their  clergy  are  spread  through 
the  rncient  churches,  and,  by  retaining  their  language,  and  acting 
under  the  direction  of  the  church  of  Rome,  they  leave  no  means 
unessayed  to  draw  over  their  primitive  brethren  to  the  Latin  com¬ 
munion.  It  appears  to  me,  that  they  are  allowed  to  use  their  ori¬ 
ginal  language,  and  to  frequent  the  original  Church,  entirely  with 
this  view  ;  and  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  their  numbers  are  gaining 
ground.  There  are  said  to  be  eighty -six  parishes  of  Roman  Cath¬ 
olic  Syrians  subject  to  the  diocese  of  Cranganore  and  Verapoli- 
Their  priests,  to  the  number  of  four  hundred,  are  styled  Catanars, 
which  is  a  Syrian  appellation :  their  congregations  are  reported  at 


dr.  kerr’s  report. 


37* 


90,000,  (old  and  young  included,)  agreeably  to  the  last  return 
transmitted  to  Rome. — There  is  an  inferior  order  of  Priests,  who 
are  called  Chiamas,  in  number  about  120.  The  Hindoos  have,  as 
far  as  I  can  learn,  a  much  greater  respect  for  tiie  Christians  of  the 
original  church,  than  for  the  converts  of  the  Latin  communion  ; 
which  may  be  accounted  for  by  their  not  associating  with  the  low¬ 
er  orders  of  people.  Attached  to  each  church  is  a  convent,  where 
the  Catanars  reside  in  community,  there  being  three,  four,  or  five 
to  each  church.  The  service  is  performed  weekly,  in  rotation. 
There  is  a  seminary  at  the  college  of  Verappli  for  the  education  of 
the  Syrio  Roman  Catholics,  and  also  one  for  the  Latin  church. 
The  Syrio  Roman  Catholics  are  chiefly  engaged,  as  already  men¬ 
tioned,  in  drawing  their  ancient  brethren  within  the  Romish  pale  ; 
but  it  appears  that  some  of  them  have  been  employed  formerly  in 
extending  the  general  object  of  conversion  over  the  peninsula. 
I  saw  one  of  their  churches,  at  a  village  near  Pillambaddy,  about 
thirty  miles  on  the  Madras  side  of  Trichinopoly  ;  and  I  heard  of 
several  others.  They  had  at  this  village  adopted  the  use  of  a 
sawmy  coach,  like  that  of  the  Heathens,  with  the  Crucifix  and  the 
Virgin  Mary  in  it,  instead  of  the  Hindoo  sawmy.— Their  church 
was  much  out  of  repair ;  and  the  ignorance  of  the  few  Christians 
remaining  in  charge  of  it  is  striking  :  the  letters  I,  N,  R,  I,  over 
the  figure  of  our  Saviour  on  the  cross,  being  absolutely  inverted  ; 
nor  did  the  priest  who  visits  them  ever  notice  the  circumstance! 
They  read  prayers  in  Malabar,  according  to  the  ritual  of  the 
church  of  Rome.  Their  church  appears  to  iiave  been  once  respect¬ 
able,  but  is  now  fallen  into  decay. 

Latin  Roman  Catholics. 

“  Within  the  provinces  of  Travancore  and  Cochin  there  are 
one  archbishop  and  two  bishops  : — the  archbishop  of  Cranganore, 
and  the  bishops  of  Cochin  and  Verapoli. 

“  The  two  former  have  sees,  the  latter  is  titular.  The  arch¬ 
bishops  ol  Cranganore  and  the  bishop  of  Cochin  are  nominated 

by  the  queen  of  Portugal,  after  the  following  manner  : _ Three 

names  are  sent,  (when  either  of  these  sees  become  vacant,)  by 
the  sovereign  of  Portugal  to  the  Pope  ;  and  the  Roman  Pontiff'  is 
bound  to  select  the  name  that  stands  first,  and  to  issue  his  brevet 
or  patent  accordingly. 

“  They  are  subject  in  all  spiritual  concerns  to  the  primate  of 
Goa  ;  who  has  power  also  during  a  vacancy,  of  sending  from  Goa 
a  locum  tenens,  who  is  styled  Padre  Governador.  Both  sees  are 
at  this  moment  filled  by  such. 

“  The  titular  Bishop,  who  resides  at  the  college  of  Verapoli, 
is  appointed  directly  by  the  Pope,  and  is  subject  to  no  jurisdic! 

tion  but  that  of  his  holiness,  or  the  propaganda  at  Rome. _ This 

mission  being  more  susceptible  of  control  and  regulation  than  the 
others,  has  been  countenanced  by  the  honorable  company,  as  the 
following  copy  of  a  Proclamation  issued  by  the  government  of 
Bombay  will  show. 

Ji  h2 


375 


DR.  KERr’s  REPORT^ 


“  PROCLAMATION. 

“  The  honorable  the  Court  of  Directors  of  the  honorable  Eng- 
“  lish  East-India  Company,  having  been  pleased  to  order  that  the 
ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  of  the  Roman  Catholic  churches  un- 
“  der  this  government,  shall  be  withdrawn  from  the  Archbishop 
“  of  Goa,  and  restored  to  the  Carmelite  Bishop  of  the  apostolic 
“  mission,  the  President  in  Council  has  accordingly  resolved,  that 
**  the  said  restitution  shall  take  place  on  the  first  of  the  ensuing 
“  month  ;  from  which  time  he  hereby  enjoins  all  the  Catholic  in- 
“  habitants  in  Bombay,  as  well  as  the  several  factories  and  set- 
“  tlements  subordinate  thereto,  to  pay  due  obedience  in  spiritual 
“  matters  to  the  said  bishops,  on  pain  of  incurring  the  severe 
displeasure  of  government. 

“  By  order  of  the  Honourable  the  Governor  in  Council , 

“  Bombay  Castle,  >  (  Signed J  WILLIAM  PAGE, 

“  2d  Aug.  1791. ”3  Secretary. 

“  The  Priests  attached  to  the  college  of  Yerapoli  are  all  Carme¬ 
lites,  united  to  the  apostolic  mission  at  Bombay,  but  not  subject 
to  it.  The  jurisdiction  of  each  is  not  marked  by  distinct  bounds  ; 
the  parishes  and  churches  being  so  intermingled,  that  it  is  diffi¬ 
cult  to  form  a  right  notion  of  their  extent.  The  Bishop  of  Coch¬ 
in,  however,  may  be  said  to  have  a  controul  overall  the  Romish 
churches  situated  on  the  sea  coast,  immediately,  (with  few  ex¬ 
ceptions.)  from  Cochin  to  Ramnad,  and  thence  round  the  whole 
Island  of  Ceylon  ;  the  churches  are  numerous  ;  but  as  they  are  in 
general  poor,  and  are  obliged  to  be  supplied  with  priests  from 
Goa,  it  would  appear  that  one  vicar  holds,  upon  an  average,  five 
or  six  churches.  The  number  of  Christians  composing  these 
churches  must  be  great,  as  all  and  every  of  the  fishermen  are 
Roman  Catholics. — The  Bishop  of  Cochin  usually  resides  at  Qui- 
lon.  There  are  very  few  European  clergy,  (not  above  seven  or 
eight,)  under  the  three  jurisdictions,  and  none  of  them  men  of 
education  ;  and  it  cannot  be  expected  that  the  native  priests,  who 
have  been  educated  at  Goa,  or  at  the  seminary  at  Yerapoli,  should 
know  much  beyond  their  missals  and  rituals  — The  Latin  comritu- 
nicants,  in  the  diocese  of  Verapoli,  are  estimated  at  35,000. — The 
catechuman  suffers  no  persecution  on  account  of  his  religion, 
when  once  converted  ;  but  the  country  governments  are  exces¬ 
sively  jealous  upon  this  point,  and  do  their  utmost  to  discounts 
nance  any  conversion 

“  The  converts  are  from  various  casts,  viz.  Chegas  or  Teers,— 
Muckwas  and  Pullers  ;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  many 
of  higher  casts  would  be  baptized,  if  they  did  not  dread  the  dis¬ 
pleasure  of  their  governments. 

“  It  is  wrell  known  that  the  Roman  religion  was  introduced  by 
the  Portuguese,  at  the  commencement  of  the  sixteenth  century  ; 
the  number  converted  in  each  year,  upon  an  average,  reach  to 
nearly  300;— the  number,  of  course,  naturally  diminishes.  The 
morality  of  the  converts  is  very  loose  ;  and  they  are  generally  in¬ 
ferior  ip  this  respect  to  tlig  heathens  of  the  country.” 


DR.  KERR’s  REPORT. 


379 


GENERAL  OBSERVATIONS. 

“  Reflecting-  on  the  whole  subject,  several  suggestions  present 
themselves  to  my  mind;  and  1  shall  not  be  considered  as  devia¬ 
ting  from  the  line  of  my  profession,  or  the  intention  of  your  Lord- 
ship,  in  calling-  for  my  Report,  by  offering  some  opinions  to  gov¬ 
ernment,  which  in  a  moral  and  political  view,  seem  of  the  high¬ 
est  importance.  It  appears,  from  the  foregoing  statement,  that 
pure  Christianity  is  far,  very  far,  from  being  a  religion  for  which 
the  highest  cast  of  Hindoos  have  any  disrespect  ;  and  that  it  is 
the  abuse  of  the  Christian  name,  under  the  form  of  the  Romish 
religion  to  which  they  are  averse.  We  have,  my  Lord,  been 
sadlv  defective  in  what  we  owed  to  God  and  man,  since  we  have 
i-u  a  *00tinS'  'n  thj3  country,  as  well  by  departing  most  shame- 
lully  from  our  Christian  profession  ourselves,  as  in  withholding 
those  sources  of  moral  perfection  from  the  natives,  which  true 
Christianity  alone  can  establish;  and,  at  the  same  time,  we  have 
allowed  tiie  Romanists  to  steal  into  our  territories,  to  occupy  the 
giound  we  have  neglected  to  cultivate,  audio  bring  an  odium  on 
cui  pure  and  honourable  name  as  Christians.  The  evil  would  be 
less,  were  it  not  well  known  that  many  of  the  Romish  priests, 
and  then-  people,  who  have  thus  been  allowed  to  grow  numerous 
iinuer  our  authority,  are  supposed  to  be  far  from  well  affected  to 
the  government  under  which  they  reside;  indeed,  in  many  in¬ 
stances,  the  Roman  clergy  are  the  natural  subjects  of  nations  at 
enmity  with  ourselves,  at  the  same  that  they  are  eminently  quali- 
iiee  by  their  influence  in  their  profession,  to  do  us  the  greatest 
mischief,  by  spreading  disaffection  throughout  every  part  of  the 
extended  country.  The  Roman  Catholic  religion,  my  Lord,  I 
believe  I  may  say,  without  offence  to  truth  or  charity,  has  almost 
always  been  made  a  political  engine  in  the  bands  of  its  govern, 
mems  and  we  must  be  blinded  indeed,  by  our  own  confidence, 
it  we  cio  not  calculate  on  its  being  so  used*  in  this  great  and  rich 
country,  where  it  lias  established  a  footing  amongst  an  ignorant 
people  ;  especially  when  it  is  so  well  understood  that  our  eastern 
possessions  have  been  a  subject  of  the  greatest  jealousy  to  all  the 
rival  nations  of  Europe.  In  my  humble  opinion,  my  Lord,  the 
error  has  been  in  not  haying-  long  ago  established  free  schools* 
throughout  every  part  of  this  country,  by  which  the  children  of 
the  natives  might  have  learned  our  language,  and  got  acquainted 
With  our  morality.  Such  an  establishment  would,  ere  this,  have 

,1.*  El?£]isk  m°rals  to  the  natives  in  their  purity,  we  must,  I  imagine,  make 

LIS  b<'0ks-  Translation,  have  hitherto  been  very  defective ’inU,® 
^Liwtcountiy  languages;  besKies.  they  must  be  extremely  circumscribed  in  nnm. 

.I,  ?,Dot  ll;rk,tU‘  natives  will  come  to  us  freely  but  to  learn  English.  Thu 

mim  W  ill  1  er  8 1  un®  t0  fortune  :  a5Kb  otl  the  coast,  tile  most  strict  of  the  Brali- 

J  lb  have  little  hesitation,  as  far  as  1  can  learn,  in  permitting  their  children  tL 

sunnose  u‘>a  SC-’0°  °‘  lnu'licise  o1'  Naming  it ;  for  they  despise  us  too  much  to 

t  mrill  vrY  ,JanSei'  °!  overturning  the  principles  of  Brahmiuism.  Bat 

tlun  ill-founded,  ridiculous  principles  must  be  shaken  to  the  verv  foundation  hvthn 
sufh  hbeval  knowledge  as  a  Christian  can  instil  into  the  niimU  of 
youth,  and  fax  there  by  means  of  English  books  ;  and  all  this  without  lliakiniramr 
ahumiiig  attack  directly  m  the  religion  w  the  Hindoos,  '*  B  ‘J  y 


380 


DR.  KERR’s  REPORT. 


made  the  people  at  large  fully  acquainted  with  the  divine  spring’, 
from  whence  alone  British  virtue  must  be  acknowledged  to  flow. 
This  would  have  made  them  better  acquainted  with  the  princi¬ 
ples  by  which  we  are  governed  :  they  , would  have  learned  to  re¬ 
spect  our  laws,  to  honour  our  feelings,  and  to  follow  ©ur  max¬ 
ims  ;  whereas  they  appear  to  me,  generally  speaking,  at  this  mo¬ 
ment,  as  ignorant  of  their  masters  as  on  their  first  landing  on 
these  shores.  I  speak  not  of  interfering  with  their  religious  pre¬ 
judices,  or  endeavouring  to  convert  the  natives  by  an  extraordi¬ 
nary  effort  on  the  part  of  the  British  government.  Conversion, 
in  my  opinion,  must  be  the  consequence  which  would  naturally 
flow  from  our  attention  to  their  moral  instruction,  and  their  more 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  English  character. 

“  I  do  not  mention  this  as  an  experiment,  the  result  of  which 
might  be  considered  as  problematical ;  the  experiment  has  been 
already  made,  and  the  consequences  have  proved  commensurate 
with  the  highest  expectation  which  reasonable  men  could  enter- 
tain.  The  Danish  mission,  united  with  the  Society  for  propaga¬ 
ting  the  Gospel,  have  sent  some  good  men  into  this  country,  with 
the  laudable  view  of  spreading  true  Christianity  throughout  our 
Eastern  possessions ;  and  the  names  of  Swartz,  Gerricke,  and 
others,  will  ever  be  remembered  by  numbers  of  our  Asiatic  sub¬ 
jects,  of  every  cast  and  description,  with  veneration  and  affeetion  : 
and  there  are  happily  still  living  some  amongst  us  of  the  same 
character. 

“  It  is  true,  that  the  object  they  had  more  particularly  in  view, 
has  in  some  measure  failed:  and  few  good  converts,  it  is  gene¬ 
rally  imagined,  have  been  made;  but  let  it  be  remembered  also, 
that  they  have  laboured  under  every  possible  disadvantage  ;  they 
have  scarcely  enjoyed  a  mere  toleration  under  our  government, 
and  received  no  kind  of  assistance  whatsoever  ;  that  they  were 
few  in  number,  and  perhaps  I  may  say,  without  injustice,  that  they 
erred  (as  the  best  might  err)  in  the  means  which  they  adopted; 
but  that  they  have  done  much  good  by  the  purity  of  their  lives, 
and  by  their  zeal  in  spreading  instruction.  This  will  admit  of  no 
denial;  andl  doubt  not  that  I  may  sav,  without  the  danger  of  con¬ 
tradiction,  that  few  and  poor  as  these  men  have  been,  without  au¬ 
thority  or  power  to  support  them,  a  greater  and  more  extended  por¬ 
tion  of  heart -felt  respect  for  the  European  character  has  been  diflus- 
cdby  their  means  throughout  this  country,  than  by  all  the  other  Eu¬ 
ropeans  put  together.  We  have,  in  my  humble  opinion,  my  Lord, 
kept  ourselves  too  far  from  the  natives;  we  have  despised  their  igno¬ 
rance,  without  attempting  to  remove  it — and  we  have  considered 
their  timidity,  (the  natural  result  of  their  being  trampled  upon  by 
one  race  of  conquerors  after  another,)  also  as  an  object  for  our 
contempt ;  at  the  same  time,  that  we  have  viewed  the  cunning  of 
their  character,  (which  is  ever  the  natural  resource  of  ignorance 
and  weakness,)  as  the  completion  of  all  that  is  vile  and  deceitful. 
Thus  have  we  continued  a  system  of  neglect  towards  the  inter¬ 
ests  of  our  native  subjects,  in  points  the  most  essential  to  their 


DR.  KERR’S  REPORT. 


331 


every  happiness,  throughout  the  whole  of  our  governments  in  this 
country.  Fain,  my  Lord,  would  I  see  a  change  in  this  particular  ; 
and  I  seize  the  opportunity  which  the  present  moment  affords,  to 
press  the  justice  and  the  policy  of  the  measure  on  the  attention  of 
your  Lordship’s  government. 

Having  the  honor  to  remain,  with  the  highest  respect,  my  Lord, 
Your  Lordship’s  faithful  and  obedient  humble  servant, 

C Signed )  R.  H.  KERR, 

Senior  chaplain  of  Fort  St.  George. 


“  Madras,  Nov.  3, 1806.” 


REVIEW. 


EXTRACT  FROM  THE  REVIEW  OF  DR.  BUCHANAN’S  SER- 
MOn’s  AND  CHRISTIAN  RESEARCHES  IN  ASIA, 

From  the  Christian  Observer  for  April,  1811. 

“  But  much  as  wehave  been  interested  by  these  sermons,  we 
have  felt  a  still  livelier  interest  excited  by  the  account,  which 
follows  them,  of  the  author’s  Christian  Researches  in  Asia.  We 
should  be  afraid  of  appearing-  extravagant  to  our  readers,  -were 
vve  to  say  all  that  we  think  respecting  the  importance  of  this 
work.  But  we  wish  them  to  judge  for  themselves,  whether  we 
exceed  the  bounds  of  moderation,  when  we  rate  its  value  above 
that  of  any  other  work,  connected  with  our  Oriental  empire, 
which  we  hare  yet  seen.  When  we  speak  of  its  value,  we  have 
no  eye  to  its  merits  as  a  composition  :  although,  in  that  view, 
every  tiling  which  proceeds  from  the  pen  of  our  author  must  be 
respectable  ;  but  to  the  stupendous  magnitude,  and  infinite  mo¬ 
ment,  of  the  subject  of  which  it  treats,  the  means  of  establishing 
the  empire  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  diffusing  the  light  of  his  Gos¬ 
pel,  over,  perhaps,  four  hundred  millions  of  human  beings,  who 
now  “  sit  in  darkness.”  It  has  to  do,  not  merely  with  the  mil¬ 
lions  of  India  who  are  subjected  to  our  government,  and  who 
therefore  have  a  sort  of  filial  claim  on  our  regard  ;  but  with 
the  hundreds  of  millions  in  Asia,  who  are  united  to  us  by  social 
ties  more  or  less  binding,  to  whose  shores  we  have  easy  access, 
and  who  seem  to  demand  from  our  compassion  the  light  of  life. 
Nor  does  it  merely  press  upon  us  our  obligations  to  these  count¬ 
less  multitudes  ;  but  it  points  out  specifically  how  those  moment¬ 
ous  obligations  are  to  be  fulfilled.  Its  object,  in  short,  is  to  real¬ 
ize  the  magnificent  anticipation  of  a  poet  of  the  present  day  for 
whose  splendid  production  we  are  also  indebted  to  the  philan¬ 
thropy  of  our  author. 

“  Be  these  thy  trophies,  queen  of  many  isles  ! 

On  these  high  Heaven  shall  shed  indulgent  smiles. 

First  by  thy  guardian  voice  to  India  lea, 

Shall  truth"  divine  her  tearless  victories  spread  ; 

Wide  and  more  wide  the  heaven-born  light  shall  stream, 

New  realms  from  thee  shall  catch  the  blissful  theme  ; 

Unwonted  warmth  the  softened  savage  feel, 

Strange  chiefs  admire,  and  turbaned  warriors  kneel  i 
The  prostrate  East  submit  her  jewelled  pride, 

And  swarthy  kings  adore  the  Crucified. 

Fam’d  Ava’s  walls  Messiah’s  name  shall  own, 

Where  haughty  splendor  guards  the  Birman  throne. 


REVIEW. 


383 


Thy  hills,  Tibet,  shall  hear,  and  Ceylon's  bowers, 
And  snow-white  waves  that  circle  Pekin's  towers ; 
Where  sheathed  in  sullen  pomp  the  Tartar  lord, 
Forgetful,  slumbers  o’er  his  idle  sword. 

OYv  all  the  plains,  where  barbarous  hordes  afar 
On  pant  ing  steeds  pursue  the  roring  war. 

Soft  notes  of  ,joy  th  ’  eternal  gloom  shall  cheer, 

And  smooth  the  terrors  of  the  arctic  year  ; 

1  ill  from  the  blazing  line  to  polar  snows, 

Through  varying  realms,  one  tide  of  blessing  flows.” 


Di\  Buchanan’s  object,  we  repeat  it,  is  to  realize  this  sub¬ 
lime  anticipation,  this  dream,  as  many  will  doubtless  account 
it,  ot  the  poet’s  fancy.  And  in  order  to  effect  this  obiect,  he 
looks  to  no  supernatural  interference,  to  the  occurrence  neither 
ot  prodigies  nor  miracles,  but  to  the  use  of  those  means  which 
are  within  our  reach,  and  particularly  to  the  diffusion  of  Chris- 
tian  ignt  by  the  circulation  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  the  lan¬ 
guages  of  the  East. 

Had  Dr.  Buchanan  confined  himself  to  the  bare  statement  of 
his  general  views  on  this  subject,  he  would  have  done  no  more 
than  has  often  been  done  before  ;  and  he  would  not  have  meri¬ 
ted  on  that  account  any  peculiar  distinction.  But  he  has  de¬ 
scended  to  particulars.  He  has  uncovered  to  our  view  the 
gloomy  recesses  of  Asiatic  superstition  ;  he  carries  us  with 
linn  by  turns,  to  the  temple  of  Juggernaut,  and  the  dungeons 
ot  .he  Inquisition  ;  lie  shews  us  the  “  gross  darkness”  {dark- 
ness  which  may  be  felt)  “  that  covers  the  people  he  tells  us 
what  he  has  seen  with  his  eyes,  and  heard  with  his  ears;  and 
lie  is  enabled,  by  Ins  own  testimony,  to  contrast  the  horrid  ef¬ 
fects  of  the  false  religions  of  the  East,  with  the  benign  influ- 

0fChl-‘Sllra(n,t>’  as  llie>'  are  severally  exemplified  in  differ¬ 
ent  parts  of  Hindostan.  And  with  respect  to  those  parts  of 
Asia  which  he  was  himself  unable  to  visit,  he  has  collected 
much  valuab  e  information,  all  tending  to  she w  the  greatness 
.  l  l,e  evi1  wll,ch  calls  for  our  compassionate  interferance.  He 
"m however  with  exposing  to  our  view  the  existing- 

that  e vd  ?*ch  case’  to  the  means  bv  which 

that  evil,  if  not  completely  subdued,  may  at  least  be  combated 

wi  1  a  hope  oi  success  ;  by  which  the  darkness,  if  not  at  once 
removed,  may  yet  be  gradually  dispelled.  He  describes  to  us 
in  fine  what  Christianity  has  already  effected  in  the  East,  and 
what  she  has  yet  to  do;  and  he  founds  his  hope,  as  to  the  effect 
of  future,  increased,  and  well  concerted  exertion,  on  the  expe¬ 
rience  of  the  benefits  which  have  flowed  from  the  efforts,  limit¬ 
ed  and  desultory  as  they  have  been,  already  made  to  evangelize 
our  Eastern  empire.  But  it  is  time  that  we  should  make  our 
readers  more  particularly  acquainted  with  the  nature  andresu  t 
ot  Dr.  Buchanan’s  researches. 

The  College  of  Fort- William  was  founded  in  May,  1800 
On  the  1st  of  January  1807,  its  establishment  was  so  reduced 
that  the  translations  ol  the  Scriptures,  and  some  other  literary 


384 


REVIEW. 


works  which  had  been  commenced  under  its  patronage,  were 
suspended.  Under  these  circumstances,  the  superintendants 
of  the  colleges  resolved  to  encourage  individuals  to  proceed 
with  versions  of  the  Scriptures,  by  all  the  means  in  their  pow¬ 
er,  purposing,  at  the  same  time,  not  to  confine  this  encourage¬ 
ment  to  Bengal,  but  to  extend  it  to  every  part  of  the  East, 
where  fit  instruments  could  be  found.  To  promote  this  object, 
subscriptions  were  set  on  foot  ;  representations  were  also  made 
to  the  supreme  government  in  behalf  of  the  undertaking,  and 
a  correspondence  was  opened  with  intelligent  persons  in  differ¬ 
ent  parts  of  India.  Nor  was  this  all.  With  a  view  to  obtain 
accurate  information  respecting  the  real  state  of  religion,  and 
to  discover  the  means  of  disseminating  the  Scriptures,  in  dif¬ 
ferent  parts  of  India,  Dr.  Buchanan  resolved  to  devote  the  last 
year  or  twro  of  his  stay  in  that  country  to  purposes  of  local  inqui¬ 
ry.  In  pursuance  of  this  design,  he  travelled  by  land  from  Cal¬ 
cutta  to  Cape  Comorin,  visited  Ceylon  thrice,  thence  pursued 
his  journey  along  the  Malabar  coast,  and  into  the  interior  of 
Malabar  and  Travancore.  After  this  tour  he  returned  to  Cal¬ 
cutta,  where  he  remained  for  nine  months,  and  then  visited 
Malabar  and  Travancore  a  second  time,  before  his  departure 
for  England. 

Dr  Buchanan,  in  prosecuting  his  researches,  first  adverts 
to  the  state  of  China.  “  India,”  he  says,  “  contains  but  a 
■small  part  of  the  natives  who  seek  the  revelation  of  God”  at  our 
hands.  “  The  Maylayan  Archipelago  includes  more  territory, 
and  a  larger  population,  than  the  continent  of  India.  China  is 
a  more  extensive  field  than  either.”  He  details  the  means 
which  were  employed  by  the  superintendants  of  the  college, 
for  obtaining  a  version  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  Chinese  lan¬ 
guage.  It  was  through  them  that  Mr.  Lassar,  who  is  now 
employed  in  this  work,  in  conjunction  with  the  Missionaries  at 
Serampore,  wras  at  first  induced  to  engagein  it. 

The  Hindoos  are  next  brought  under  our  view  by  the  pious 
author  ;  and  he  states  it  to  have  been  one  of  the  objects  of  his 
tour  to  ascertain  what  are  the  actual  effects  of  Christianity  in 
those  interior  provinces  of  Hindustan,  where  it  has  been  in¬ 
troduced,  and  to  compare  the  Hindoo  Christians  with  such  of 
their  countrymen  as  remain  in  their  pristine  idolatry.  “  It  was 
a  chief  object  of  his  tour  through  India,  to  mark  the  relative 
influence  of  Paganism  and  Christianity;”  and  in  order  that  the 
English  nation  may  be  able  to  form  a  judgment  on  the  subject, 
he  proceeds  to  give,  in  the  way  of  extracts  from  his  journal, 
some  account  of  the  Hindoos  of  Juggernaut  and  the  native 
Christians  in  Tanjore.  The  former  continue  to  worship  the  idol 
Juggernaut ;  the  latter,  until  the  light  of  revelation  visited  them, 
worshipped  an  idol  also,  called  the  Great  Black  Bull  of  Tanjore. 


A  SERMON, 

PREACHED  AT  THE  PARISH  CHURCH  GI¬ 
ST.  ANDREW  BY  THE  WARDROBE  AND  ST.  ANNE, 
BLACKFRIARS, 

ON  TUESDAY  IN  WHITSUN  WEEK,  JUNE  A,  1811, 

BEFORE  THE 

Society  for  Missions  to  Africa  and  the  East , 


INSTITUTED  BY 

MEMBERS  OF  THE  ESTABLISHED  CHURCH, 


BEING  THEIR 

ELEVENTH  ANNIVERSARY. 

BY  THE  REV.  MELVILLE  HORNE, 

liStc  Chaplain  to  the  Colony  of  Sierra  Leone. 


ALBANY  : 

PUBLISHED  BY  B.  D.  PACKARD, 

No.  Si  State-Street. 

E,  SJ  E.  Hosford ,  Printer*. 

1812. 


<  •  '  i 


.  •>  *  ii-1  rj-.  if. 


•  . 

■  ■ 

> 


‘  •  * 


/ 


' 


u  4  iw 

.X- ..."  v;  .  . 

4V  « 

•  '  * 


A  SERMON. 


— 040— 


PHIL.  iv.  13. 

/  can  do  all  things ,  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth 

me. 

On  such  an  occasion,  and  before  such  an  auditory,  it 
would  ill  become  me  to  appear,  without  solicitude  and 
godly  fear.  The  comments  which  may  be  passed  on. 
the  preacher  are,  indeed,  of  no  moment,  but  the  im¬ 
pression  made  by  his  sermon  on  the  cause  of  Missions, 
is  a  consideration,  which  merits  the  most  serious 
thought.  He  feels  his  need  of  a  becoming  confidence, 
no  less  than  of  a  becoming  modesty ;  and  that  confi¬ 
dence,  which  it  is  impossible  he  should  find  in  himself, 
he  derives  from  the  dignity  of  his  subject,  from  the 
character  of  this  congregation,  and  from  the  promised 
aid  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  the  Lord  of  all  power 
and  might  1 

.  The  subject  inspires  confidence.  I  plead  for  mil¬ 
lions,  rational,  immortal  as  yourselves ;  the  meanest  of 
whose  souls  is  more  prized  by  their  Redeemer,  than 
the  fabric  of  this  material  system.  By  me  they  sue, 
not  to  be  instructed  in  our  European  Arts,  not  to  be 
fteed  fi  om  tne  iron  bondage  of  the  worldly  oppressor, 
not  to  be  admitted  to  the  participation  of  the  civil 
i  ights  and  liberties  ox  Britons:  no,  my  brethren,  they 
sue  for  nobler  things.  By  the  tender  mercies  of  Christ, 
by  the  blood  of  his  cross,  by  the  promises  of  truth,  by 
the  hope  of  the  Gospel,  they  sue  to  be  received  into 
the  peaceful  Church  of  Jesus,  to  be  associated  in  the 
privileges,  and  honours  of  the  Christian  name  ;  and  in 
that  inheritance  in  the  heavens,  incorruptible,  undefi¬ 
led,  and  that  fadeth  not  away,  which  is  the  Christian’s 
lot..  This  they  solicit,  they  demand,  in  the  name  of 
.heir  Lord  and  ours  .j  who  hath  asked  and  received  the 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


heathen  for  his  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  earth  for  his  possession. 

The  character  of  this  congregation  inspires 
confidence.  I  see  before  me  wealth,  and  learning,  and 
talents  :  but  I  see,  or  think  I  see,  their  possessors,  in¬ 
different  to  these  envied  distinctions,  anxious  only  to 
know  Jesus  Christ,  and  him  crucified ;  and  to  spread 
the  blessings  of  his  kingdom,  from  shore  to  shore, 
from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun.  Their  hearts  and 
prayers  are  with  the  cause  1  plead  ;  and  they  will  re¬ 
ceive  with  pleasure,  as  well  as  hear  with  attention, 
every  thing  which  may  be  suggested  to  excite  the 
spirit  of  missions,  or  which  is  calculated  to  direct  their 
conduct. 

And,  if  the  subject  and  the  auditory  inspire  con¬ 
fidence,  how  much  more  the  promised  aid  of  him, 
whose  I  am,  and  whom  I  serve  1  I  stand  not  here  the 
servant  of  a  man,  however  highly  exalted :  neither  is 
it  in  the  name  of  some  unknown  superangelic  creat¬ 
ure,  that  we  display  the  missionary  banner ;  but  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob, 
the  living  strength  of  Israel.  Jesus,  the  Word  made 
flesh ,  Immanuel ,  God  with  us,  the  brightness  of  the  Fa¬ 
ther’s  glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his  person  :  he,  of 
whom  it  is  written,  Let  all  the  angels  of  God  worship 
him  ;  and,  Let  every  man  honour  the  Son,  even  as  he 
honour cth  the  Father ;  the  hope,  the  life,  and  the  sal¬ 
vation  of  the  ends  of  the  earth  :  in  his  name,  who  com¬ 
mands  and  inspires  our  labours,  who  crowns  them  with 
success  and  rewards  them  with  immortality,  we  are 
bold  to  plead  the  Missionary  Cause,  and  to  anticipate 
the  glory  of  the  latter  day.  We  can,  and  I  trust  we 
shall,  do  all  things,  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  us. 

On  this  subject,  Brethren,  we  need  not  to  be  taught, 
but  exhorted ;  not  to  be  convinced,  but  persuaded. 
For  I  assume  that  we  all  know  our  duty,  and  have  only 
to  be  prevailed  upon  to  do  it.  We  know  that  he,  who 
dwelt  among  us  in  the  form  of  a  servant,  was  born  a 
king ;  and  that,  in  contemplation  of  his  sufferings,  he 
solaced  his  sorrows  with  this  consideration,  When  lam 
lifted  up,  I  will  draw  all  men  to  me.  In  death,  calm  and 
unaltered,  his  closing  eye  was  lighted  up  with  the  pros¬ 
pect  of  universal  dominion:  his  expiring  breath — It  is 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


5 


finished  !  was  the  signal  of  victory  over  the  god  of  this 
world,  and  of  all  its  kingdoms.  Of  his  government,  and 
of  the  increase  of  his  kingdom ,  there  shall  be  no  end  ;  for 
he  must  reign ,  until  all  enemies  be  put  under  his  feet. 

.  The  Prophets  predicted  the  glory  that  should  follow 
his  sufferings,  and  the  apostles  were  the  honored  in¬ 
struments  of  fulfilling  their  predictions.  To  both,  it 
was  given  to  see  the  visions  of  the  Almighty,  and  to 
read  the  prophetic  page,  to  the  last  syllable  of’ record¬ 
ed  time.  To  us  they  have  delineated  all  the  fluctua¬ 
tions  of  his  empire  ;  and  marked  the  period  of  the 
partial  eclipses  of  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  and  when 
they  shall  shine  forth  again  in  unclouded  splendor. 

As  laid  dov.  Ti  in  their  Chart  of  Prophecy,  we  have 
seen  the  false  prophet  rising  from  the  Cave  of  Iiira, 
and  wasting  the  Eastern  Churches  with  the  Koran  and 
the  Sword.  We  have  beheld  the  Euphratean  Horse- 
men,  going  forth  conquering  and  to  conquer,  until  the 
fuikisli  Crescent  waved  over  the  city  of  Constantine. 
In  the  \  v  est,  tne  desolations  of  the  Church  advanced 
with  equal  steps,  though  in  a  form  more  concealed  and 
questionable.  In  the  very  Temple  of  God,  did  the 
Man  of  Sin  arise  ;  and  a  Christian  Bishop  presumed  to 
convert  Christ’s  spiritual  empire  into  a  kingdom  of 
this  world,  and  to  usurp  domination  over  its  proudest 
potentates.  But,  in  the  darkest  night  of  the  Church, 
when  error  was  made  orthodox  and  sin  sanctified  as 
Christianity,  a  ray  of  light  shone  forth  from  the  sanc¬ 
tuary,  and  partially  dispelled  the  darkness.  An  ob¬ 
scure  German  Monk  dared  to  be  a  Man,  a  Christian, 
and  a  Minister.  With  the  invincible  spirit  of  an  Apos¬ 
tle,  Martin  Luther  confronted  a  Synod  of  Princes ; 
and  braved  both  the  authority  of  the  imperial  decrees 
and  the  thunders  of  the  Vatican.  A  large  part  of  Eu- 
lope  heart:  his  voice  ;  and,  in  obedience  to  the  divine 
command,  came  out  of  Babylon,  that  Mother  of  Abom¬ 
inations.  With  our  own  eyes  we  have  seen  a  man 
arise,  who,  having  encircled  his  brows  with  the  iron 
crown  of  Charlemagne,  has  torn  the  tiara  from  the 
head  of  the  pretended  Vicar  of  Christ ;  and  has  resum¬ 
ed  the  dominions  bestowed  upon  him,  by  the  ill-judged 
liberality  of  his  great  predecessor.  While  these  won¬ 
derful  transactions  have  passed  in  Europe,  the  Cres- 

A  3 


6 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


cent,  long  declining  from  its  splendor,  visibly  begins 
to  wane  ;  and  the  Temple  of  Mecca  and  the  tutelary 
Demon  of  Mahomet  shrink  beneath  the  sword  of  the 
Wechabites. — While  Rome  boweth  down,  Mecca 
stoopeth  ! 

From  these  signs  in  heaven  and  in  earth,  in  the  State 
and  in  the  Church,  it  is  visible  to  those  who  read  them 
with  a  Christian  eye,  that  some  grand  and  universal 
change  is  taking  place  in  religion  and  morals,  worthy 
of  the  splendid  and  tremendous  machinery,  with  which 
it  is  introduced.  Of  the  nature  of  that  change,  we 
are  informed  by  the  sure  word  of  prophecy.  It  is  con¬ 
fessedly  difficult,  perhaps  impossible,  to  ascertain  with 
precision,  the  commencement  and  termination  of  the 
grand  prophetic  period  of  1260  years,  determined  for 
the  desolation  of  the  sanctuary  ;  but  it  is  obvious,  that 
that  period  has  now  nearly  elapsed,  and  that  the  re¬ 
demption  of  the  Church  draweth  nigh.  Faith  and 
Hope  already  behold  her  coming  up  out  of  the  wil¬ 
derness,  leaning  on  the  bosom  of  her  beloved,  and 
glorious  as  an  army  with  banners.  They  see  the  dis¬ 
persed  of  Israel  and  Judah  restored  to  the  land  of  their 
fathers,  and  converted  to  the  faith  of  that  Messiah 
whom  they  so  long  rejected.  They  see  the  fulness  of 
the  Gentiles  flow'ing  to  her,  and  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world  becoming  the  kingdoms  of  our  God  and  of  his 
Christ,  until  righteousness  cover  the  earth,  as  the  wa¬ 
ters  cover  the  great  deep. 

These  happy  presages,  these  lively  expectations, 
geem  to  have  obtained  a  general  prevalence  ;  and  no 
where  more,  than  in  this  favored  country.  Our  Bible 
Societies,  our  Missionary  Associations,  and  the  vari¬ 
ous  Versions  of  the  Scripture  now  making  into  the 
most  prevalent  languages  of  the  East,  are  precious 
drops,  large  and  frequent,  which  precede  plenteous 
rain,  when  the  seasons  of  refreshing  come  from  the 
presence  of  the  Lord.  The  Angel,  who  is  to  preach 
the  Everlasting  Gospel  to  every  tribe  of  man,  is  even 
now  on  the  wing.  The  precursors  of  the  evangelic 
army  are  already  landed  on  the  African  and  Asian 
shores,  and  call  on  us  to  follow,  and  to  support  the  sa¬ 
cred  banner  of  the  cross.  Inquiry  and  expectation  are 
excited  among  the  Eastern  People  j  and  we  are  as- 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS, 


* 


sembletl,  this  day,  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames,  to  ani¬ 
mate  each  other  to  these  peaceful  wars,  and  to  consid¬ 
er  how  we  may  best  fulfil  the  hopes  which  we  have  ex¬ 
cited. 

IIow  Missions  shall  be  conducted  with  most  effect,  may 
welladmitdiversity  of  opinion;  but,  of  the  duty  ofengaging 
in  them,  among  Christians,  I  presume  there  can  be  but 
one.  We  found  our  undertaking, not  on  the  secret, buton 
the  revealed  will  of  God — to  make  his  Son  the  head  of  the 
heathen.  We  justify  it,  not  by  the  fallible  deductions 
of  reason,  but  by  the  explicit  command  of  Christ — Go, 
preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.  We  are  encour¬ 
aged  to  prosecute  it,  by  the  example  of  the  Universal 
Church,  which  in  no  century  of  the  Christian  era,  and 
under  no  discouragements,  hath  ever  been  prevailed  on 
to  relinquish  the  claims  of  her  Lord,  or  wholly  to  desist 
from  propagating  his  saving  faith.  Gratitude  impels, 
humanity  implores,  justice  commands,  honour  invites, 
and  conscience  approves  the  war.  Whatsoever  things 
are  lovely  and  of  good  report ,  if  there  be  any  virtue , 
and  if  there  be  any  praise,  they  all  conspire  to  warm 
our  hearts,  and  to  strengthen  our  hands. 

A  cause  so  sacred,  so  truly  Christian,  taken  up  on 
principles  of  faith  and  reason,  may  well  be  expected  to 
meet  with  general  approbation  and  support.  That  it 
docs  meet  with  them  is  more  than  I  dare  affirm  ;  much 
less,  that  that  approbation  is  cordial  and  affectionate, 
and  that  support  zealous  and  liberal — commensurate  to 
the.  magnitude  of  its  object,  and  the  discouragements 
which  it  has  to  encounter.  Alas  !  my  Brethren,  the 
spirit  of  missions  has,  as  yet,  but  half  warmed  the 
bosom  of  the  Church.  That  zeal,  which  prompts  to 
personal  exertions  and  sacrifices,  is  not  the  character¬ 
istic  of  the  day,  nor  of  the  Members  of  the  Church  of 
England.  Long  peace,  and  disuse  of  missionary  arms, 
have  chilled  our  blood.  The  trumpet  sounds,  and 
principle  and  shame  compel  us  to  the  field.  But  our 
orders  are  loose  and  broken  ;  our  minds  timid  and  irres¬ 
olute.  We  talk  of  insurmountable  obstacles — of  pri¬ 
vations  intolerable, — and  of  sacrifices,  which  it  is  not 
justifiable  for  even  religion  to  make:  while  pretenders 
to  tenderness  of  conscience  affect  to  tremble  to  think 
of  the  eyils,  which  harmless  Gentoos  arc  to  suffer  frpns 


8 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


our  intolerance  ;  and  profound  politicians  can  discover 
in  this  pacific  assembly,  the  seeds  of  future  wars,  and 
of  a  revolution  which  is  to  subvert  the  British  Empire 
in  the  East..  But  is  this  the  fearless  enterprise  of  Brit¬ 
ish  Seamen,  British  Soldiers,  British  Merchants  ?  Is 
this  the  unequivocal  language  of  the  votaries  of  ava¬ 
rice,  of  ambition,  or  of  fame?  Was  it  in  this  calcula¬ 
ting  spirit,  that  three  obscure  individuals  sealed  the 
fate  of  Peru,  on  the  blessed  body  and  blood  of  Christ  ? 
Had  Arcot  been  defended,  or  the  field  of  Plassy  fought 
in  this  temper,  where  now  were  our  Indian  Empire  ? 
And  is  it  in  fear  and  irresolution,  that  Bonaparte  stands 
in  the  midst  of  the  earth,  like  an  angel  commissioned 
to  destroy  ? 

Well  might  our  Blessed  Master  observe,  that  the 
children  of  this  world  are  wiser  in  their  generation  than 
the  children  of  light.  With  equal  truth  it  may  be  said, 
that  they  have  generally  more  zeal,  more  fortitude, 
more  patience,  and  more  perseverance.  To  exonerate 
ourselves  from  censure,  we  may  lay  what  colours  we 
please  on  the  subject:  at  the  same  time,  nothing  but 
the  anti-christian  principles  of  sloth,  fear,  love  of  the 
world,  and  a  distrust  of  the  power  and  grace  of  Christ, 
could  make  us  exaggerate,  beyond  all  proportions  of 
truth,  discouragements,  which  are  in  themselves,  in¬ 
deed,  as  formidable  as  the  v’orld,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil  can  render  them  ;  discouragements,  however, 
which  we  can  overcome,  through  Christ  which  strength - 
cneih  us. 

Doth  unbelief  ask,  Who  is  sufficient  for  these 
things  ?  The  God  whom  we  serve,  the  Creator,  Up¬ 
holder,  and  Governor  of  all  worlds,  in  whose  hands  are 
all  hearts,  and  whose  pleasure  is  served  by  every  vary¬ 
ing  event — He  is  all-sufficient.  -His  wisdom  and 
power,  his  faithfulness  and  truth,  will  not  be  neutral 
witnesses  of  our  patience  of  hope,  and  labour  of  love. 
The  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ,  and  his  inexhausti¬ 
ble  grace,  are  all-sufficient,  to  supply  all  our  neces¬ 
sities.  He  will  go  forth  with  our  hosts,  marshal  their 
orders,  inflame  their  courage,  himself  lead  the  war, 
and  scatter  the  alien  armies.  And,  in  the  hands  of  the 
Divine  Spirit,  the  evidence  of  the  gospel  is  all-suffi¬ 
cient,  to  convince  the  most  sceptical ;  the  motives  of 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


9 


the  gospel  all-sufficient,  to  subdue  the  most  obdu¬ 
rate  ;  and  the  sanctions  of  the  gospel  all-sufficient, 
to  triumph  over  the  most  worldly,  sensual,  and  fero¬ 
cious.  Our  all-sufficiEncy  is  of  God  :  we  can  do  all 
things  through  Christ ,  which  strengtheneth  us. 

Away,  then,  with  the  wretched  cant  of  false  humility 
— “  We  can  do  nothing.”  What,  then?  Is  the  arm  of 
the  Lord  shortened ,  that  he  cannot  save  ? — That  he  can¬ 
not  do,  in  us,  and  by  us,  whatever  he  commands  ?  Je¬ 
sus  of  Nazareth  did  conquer  the  world,  by  men  of  like 
passions  with  ourselves  ;  and  he  hath  pledged  himself, 
that  he  will  conquer  it  again — conquer  it  more  general¬ 
ly,  more  permanently,  and  more  gloriously  ;  and  it  may 
be,  by  instruments  more  contemptible  than  the  blessed 
fishermen  of  Galilee,  and  by  means  less  splendid  than 
the  miraculous  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Then,  the 
Church  came  down  all  glorious  from  heaven  :  now, 
she  will  be  wonderfully  raised  up  from  the  bosom  of  the 
earth. 

Let  then  the  heathen  rage ,  and  the  people  imagine  a 
vain  thing.  Let  the  kings  of  the  earth  set  themselves , 
and  the  rulers  take  counsel  together ,  against  the  Lord , 
and  against  his  Anointed ,  saying ,  Let  us  break  their 
bands  asunder ,  and  cast  away  their  cords  from  us.  He , 
that  sitteth  in  the  heavens ,  shall  laugh  ;  the  Lord  shall 
have  them  in  derision.  Then  shall  he  speak  unto  them, 
in  his  wrath ,  and  vex  them  in  his  sore  displeasure.  Yet 
have  I  set  my  king  upon  my  holy  hill  of  Zion.  I  will  de¬ 
clare  the  decree  :  The  Lord  hath  said  unto  me ,  Thou  art 
my  Son  :  this  day  have  I  begotten  thee.  Ask  of  me ,  and 
I  shall  give  thee  the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance ,  and 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  possession.  Thou 
shalt  break  them  with  a  rod  of  iron  :  thou  shalt  dash 
them  in  pieces ,  like  a  potter’s  vessel.  Be  wise  flow, 
therefore ,  O  ye  kings  :  be  instructed  ye  judges  of  the 
earth.  Serve  the  Lord  with  fear ,  and  rejoice  with  trem¬ 
bling.  Kiss  the  Son ,  lest  he  be  angry ,  and  ye  perish 
from  the  way,  when  his  wrath  is  kindled  but  a  little. 
Blessed  are  all  they ,  that  put  their  trust  in  him  !  Fear 
we  the  success  of  this  victorious  kingdom?  Or  can  we 
be  ashamed  of  this  King  of  Kings  ? 

St.  Paul  combined  with  profound  humility  the  most 
confident  faith  :  In  hisfesh  there  dwelled  no  good  thing  $ 


10 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


but,  being  strong-  in  the  spirit,  he  could  do  all  thingsy 
through  Christ  which  strengthened  him.  Say  not,  “Are 
we  Apostles  ?” — We  are  Christians.  We  are  minis¬ 
ters.  As  such,  we  have  the  same  faith,  the  same  Spir¬ 
it,  the  same  Father,  and  the  same  Lord,  with  the  apos¬ 
tle.  What  was  he,  which  Christ  did  not  make  him  ? 
What  did  he  do,  which  Christ  did  not  work  in  him  and 
by  him  ?  Let  us,  then  follow  him,  as  he  followed  Christ, 
and  be  strong  in  the  Lord ,  and  in  the  flower  of  his  might. 

We  are  not  apostles,  and,  therefore,  need  not  their 
credentials  :  our  warfare,  though  similar,  is  not  exactly 
the  same  :  so  far  as  we  are  called  to  tread  in  their  steps, 
we  may  confidently  rely  on  the  same  all-sufficient  Lord. 
He  will  not  send  us  on  his  warfare,  at  our  own  charges  : 
nor  can  we  say  what  may  be  done,  until  we  make  a  fair 
trial.  Men,  who  fill  the  earth  with  their  fame,  might 
have  lived  and  died  unknown,  had  not  providence 
set  before  them  a  bold  career,  and  heaven  or  hell  sup¬ 
plied  them  with  motives  to  enter  on  it.  What  a  thea¬ 
tre  lor  truly  grand  achievements  is  now  set  before  us, 
and  who  shall  dare  to  say,  that,  through  Christ  which 
strengthened  us,  we  cannot  act  our  part  with  proprie¬ 
ty,  if  not  with  success  ?  Under  God,  man  is  much  the 
creature  of  occasion,  association,  and  circumstance. 
Great  pursuits  form  great  men  ;  and,  in  this  cause, 
there  is  every  thing  that  can  elevate  the  genius,  and 
ameliorate  the  heart.  As  our  day  is,  so  shall  our  strength 
be.  If  we  dare  believe  Christ’s  promises  in  Europe, 
we  shall  see  the  lighting  down  of  his  arm ,  in  the  ends  of 
the  world. 

We  dare  not  intrude  into  the  province  of  the  Ilead 
of  the  Church.  He  will  select  his  own  instruments, 
qualify  them  for  their  work,  and  prosper  their  labours, 
how,  and  when,  and  in  what  measure  he  pleases.  Nor 
will  that  Faithful  Witness  fail  to  make  good  every  tit¬ 
tle  of  his  engagements.  The  duty  of  this  Association 
is  neither  to  be  ashamed  of  Missions,  nor  to  despair 
of  their  success,  nor  to  be  fastidiously  delicate  in  the 
exertion  of  its  influence  to  promote  them.  Shame  is 
disaffection;  despair,  disloyalty;  and  to  be  too  nice,  in 
the  use  of  fair  and  honest  means,  a  dereliction  of  the 
cross  of  Christ, — that  standard,  around  which  we  should 
rally  and  unite  all  our  efforts.  To  collect  information 


fcEllMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


If 


by  correspondence  at  home  and  abroad — to  establish 
funds — to  deliberate  on  every  measure,  which  prudence 
can  suggest-  -and  above  all,  to  diffuse  the  spirit  of  mis¬ 
sions  in  every  possible  direction — comprises,  perhaps, 
all  we  can  do.  ibis  should  be  done  with  simplicity, 
humility,  fear,  trust,  patience,  and  perseverance:  and, 
while  we  thus  act,  be  this  our  motto,  We  can  do  all 
thnigs ,  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  us. 

The  most  immediate  and  most  distressing  of  all  our 
discouragements,  is,  the  want  of  Missionaries.  I  was 
Petore  b°!d  to  advance  strong  censure  on  this  point; 
and  I  dare  not  retract  it:  but  it  is  a  justice  which  I 
owe  o  my  honoured  brethren  of  the  gospel  ministry, 
before  I  press  the  censure  further,  to  observe,  with 
respect  to  Missions,  how  differently  they  are  circum¬ 
stanced  from  the  laity.  The  part  allotted  to  the  laitv 
les  in  a  small  compass  :  it  is  easy,  and  revolts  none  of 
the  grand  principles  of  human  nature.  Would  each 
contribute  his  wealth,  his  prayers,  his  counsels,  and  his 
influence,  according  to  the  ability  which  God  giveth. 
Missions  would  be  nobly  patronized  ;  and  yet,  no  indi¬ 
vidual  would  feel  their  pressure.  Should  the  laity 
shi  ink  from  their  duty,  wholly  or  in  part,  their  num¬ 
ber  and  station  in  the  church  secure  them,  in  some  de¬ 
gree,  from  observation  and  reproach.  Should  their 
most  zealous  endeavours  be  frustrated,  they  have  no 
personal  suffering,  shame,  or  responsibility.  Indiffer¬ 
ent  spectators  of  those,  who  were  jeopardizing  their 
lives,  they  could  not  be.  They  would  feel  a  generous 
interest,  an  affectionate  sympathy,  in  the  we®!  o,  wo 
of  the  soldiers  of  the  cross  ;  but,  after  all,  they  would 
be  spectators  only,  and  not  combatants  in  the  war. 

Far  different  is  the  part  of  the  clergy.  They  are  cal- 
led  to  advance  with  the  standard  in  the  van,  and  to  sus¬ 
tain  the  whole  shock  of  battle.  Every  Christian  prin- 
ciple  is  bi  ought  to  the  severest  test.  Every  affection 
of  the  heart  must  be  laid  on  the  cross.  If  they  will  do 
then  duty,  the  son,  the  husband,  the  father,  the  friend, 
Sf  nl^’  PerliaPs>  even  the  minister  must  be  sacrificed, 
ihe  Missionary  can  borrow  no  aid  from  avarice,  ambi¬ 
tion,  or  fame  principles,  which  work  miracles  in  the 
woi  t It  is  not  a  temporary,  but  an  everlasting  adieu* 
which  he  must  bid  to  his  native  soil,  and  all  the  fond 


n 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


charities  ■which  it  contains  :  it  is  not  a  few  protracted 
campaigns  of  danger,  toil,  or  privation,  which  he  is  to 
endure  ;  it  is  not  even  the  glorious  death  of  a  martyr, 
(though  this  may  be  his  lot-)  which  only  he  is  to  encoun¬ 
ter.  To  every  principle  of  flesh  and  blood,  he  must 
die  daily.  His  life  is  one  martyrdom ;  and,  with  St. 
Paul,  he  must  bear  about  in  his  body ,  the  dying  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  Every  active  and  passive  virtue,  the  Hero 
and  the  Saint,  must  be  called  into  habitual  exercise. 
Universal  temperance  and  self-denial — fervent  zeal, 
tempered  with  the  meekness  of  heavenly  wisdom' — 
restless  activity,  which  thinks  nothing  done,  while  any 
thing  remains  undone  ;  supported  by  invincible  forti¬ 
tude,  and  perfected  by  patient  industry — and  perseve¬ 
rance  full  of  joyful  hope — these  graces  combine  to  form 
the  grand  outline  of  the  Christian  Missionary.  His  la¬ 
bours  end  only  with  his  life  ;  and  that  may  terminate, 
he  knows  not  where  nor  how — by  land  or  sea — in  the 
midst  of  a  ferocious  multitude,  or  alone,  unsheltered, 
and  without  a  friend  to  close  his  eyes. 

And  is  this  race  of  glory,  to  be  run  hastily,  even 
by  the  best  of  men  ?  Is  it  modest,  is  it  humble,  to  be 
candidates  for  missionary  arms,  “sharp,  massive  and 
refulgent,”  which  claim  the  spirit  and  strength  of  an 
apostle  to  wield  them  ?  Ah  !  my  friends,  little  do  you 
know  the  fears  and  solicitudes,  with  which,  under 
every  possible  advantage,  we  conduct  the  sacred  minis¬ 
try  at  home.  Thousands  of  light  men  have,  indeed, 
thrust  themselves  into  the  ministry  ;  but  no  one  who 
knows  what  the  cure  of  souls  is,  will  undertake  it, 
or  continue  in  it  when  undertaken,  unless  a  necessity 
be  laid  upon  him,  and  he  feels,  Wo  be  unto  me,  if  I 
preach  not  the  gospel!  Can  you,  then,  wonder  if  the 
clergy  be  circumspect  and  deliberate  ;  and  if,  before 
they  become  Missionaries,  they  require  every  evidence 
of  which  it  is  susceptible — that  they  have  a  mission 
from  above,  and  some  humble  qualification  to  fulfil  it? 
Shall  they  stake  their  all,  in  heaven  and  earth,  and  com¬ 
mit  the  honor  of  the  church,  before  they  be  fully  per¬ 
suaded  in  their  own  minds ? 

Here,  I  fear,  some  will  think  I  have  forgotten  my 
text,  and  the  cause  which  I  am  to  plead ;  and  that  I 
have  painted  the  qualifications  and  labours  of  the  Mis- 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


13 


feionary,  in  colours  by  no  means  alluring  ;  and  will  ask, 
\vhat  motives  can  induce  a  sober  man  to  engae-e  in 
such  a  warfare,  or  what  principles  support  him  under 
it .  —And  what  motives  influenced  thy  incarnation,  O 
bon  of  God— influenced  thee  to  be  a  servant,  yea,  a 

ZZV  r  “  man  ofsorr™s  acquainted 

withgnefs?  W hat  principles  sustained  thee,  O  Jesus 

of  Nazareth,  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane,  and  on  the 
accursed  tree,  when  thou  didst  tread  the  winepress  alone , 
and  of  the  people  there  was  none  with  thee  ? _ Those 

ZTT  dM  6  ?rindples’  sha11  ^fiuence  and  sustain 
thee,  thou  Missionary  man  of  God.  The  love  of  Christ 

which  passe th  knowledge ,  shall  constrain  thee.  The 
cross,  tne  sacred  cross,  thy  tree  of  life,  thy  hope,  thv 
rejoicmg  thy  glory,  shall  kindle  up  in  thy  soul  all  ihc 
mind  of  Christ,  and  sustain  thee  with  all  [he  power  of 

,  .  '  aou  canst  do,  canst  suffer,  canst  conquer  all 
things,  through  Christ  which  strengthened,  thee.  Thv 
losses,  thy  crosses,  thy  sorrows,  thy  wife,  thy  children 
thyself,  thy  all  are  Christ’s, and  Christ  is  God’s!  If  in  thee’ 
the  measure  of  his  sufferings  be  filled  up,  in  him  shall 

t  ry  joys  be  full  ;  and  he  shall  anoint  thee  with  the  oil  of 
gladness,  above  thy  fellows.  He  shall  feed  thee  with  hid- 
den  manna,  which  the  world  knoweth  not :  and  in  thv 
heart, will  he  make  rivers  of  living  water  to Vpdng  up  ancl 

witiMdm"  u-bT  SUffe,7ith  hira’  ‘>>ou  -halt  also  reign 
% r  GoT  ,aVe?  5,hal‘  be  th>'  »ncl  Ws  God 

('iff  ,.A"  f  sm,t  “'/“‘’■ale  thee  from  the  love  of 

Chi  ist  f  Shall  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  persecution  or 
famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword  ?  AW  in  all 

norUfe  nor  angels,  nor  ltrinei^UtleTnTfoZersTo'r 
things  fi resent,  nor  things  to  conte,  nor  height,  Zr  deZh 

R  i  A  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord 

Be- loved  Brethren,  if  we  look  only  on  the  outside  of 

Hnefsinhim  M)SrS10"?r^we  sha»  see  no  form  nor  come- 
Alness  in  him.  Ins  life  may  seem  madness,  and  his  death 

without  nonour.  But,  if  we  look  nearer  into  the  innm  ma 

v'e  shail  see Bus  outcast  of  men  exceeding 
glad,  filled  with  all  consolation*  ard  reinirintr  ui  •  ^ 

sjtcakable,  and  full  of  glory .  Be  his  liie5'nc{er“ o 


u 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


great,  he  accounts  them  as  nothing  :  be  his  sufferings 
never  so  heavy,  he  rejoices  in  tribulation  :  he  hugs  his 
chain;  sings  midnight  hymns  of  praise  to  Christ,  in  the 
dungeon  and  in  the  stocks  ;  and,  with  the  calmest  rea¬ 
son,  reckons  that  his  present  light  afflictions ,  which  are 
but  for  a  moment ,  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared  with 
that  far.,  more  exceeding ,  and  eternal  weight  of  glory , 
which  shall  be  revealed. 

And  are  there  in  this  place  any — I  would  hope  there 
are  none  ! — who  are  disposed  to  turn  with  contempt  from 
the  Missionaries  of  the  Cross  ? — men,  who  hazard 
their  lives  for  the  sake  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  whose  names 
are  written  in  his  book  of  life,  and  who  shall  hereafter 
rank  among  his  martyrs  and  confessors  ! — They  sink 
not  under  your  contempt,  nor  value  any  thing  which 
you  may  possess  ?  They  feel  that  ample  fortunes,  splen¬ 
did  establishments,  personal  or  hereditary  honours,  gar¬ 
ters  and  mitres,  without  the  love  of  Christ,  are  nothing, 
worse  than  nothing — straws,  which  float  on  the  stream 
— vain  decorations,  which  cover  the  cheerless  man¬ 
sions  of  the  dead  ?  But  are  there  here  any  such  as  I 
have  supposed  ? — Let  them  take  home  with  them  one 
word  of  St.  Paul,  which  I  pray  God  that  they  may  pon¬ 
der  in  their  hearts — If  any  man  love  not  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ,  let  him  be  Anathema ,  Maranatha  ! 

To  you,  my  Christian  Brethren,  I  return  ;  and  to  your 
hearts  I  appeal,  whether  I  have  not  done  some  humble 
justice  to  the  Missionary  Character,  and  exhibited  its 
luminous,  as  well  as  its  dark  side  ?  Can,  then,  your 
time,  your  money,  your  influence  in  society,  be  better 
employed,  than  in  discovering  such  characters,  cherish¬ 
ing  their  pious  ardour,  and  forwarding  them  to  the  sta¬ 
tions  whither  their  high  destinies  call  them  ?  Whatev¬ 
er  coldness  I  impute  to  the  clergy,  as  well  as  to  the  la¬ 
ity,  yet  such  characters  there  certainly  are  among  them, 
and  possibly  more  than  we  suppose.  Then  patiently 
persevere  in  well  doing,  and  you  shall  discover  them, 
and  bring  them  to  the  places,  where  they  ought  to  stand. 
For  it  cannot  be,  that,  in  the  Nineteenth  Century,  and 
in  the  first  of  the  reformed  Churches, — while  God’s 
judgments  are  abroad  in  the  earth,  while  illustrious 
prophecies  are  accomplishing  :  while  the  Church  i^ 
raising  her  languid  head,  and  while  the  pious  Laity  are 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


15 


calling  loudly  for  Missionaries — it  cannot  be,  that  the 
clergy  alone  should  remain  cold  and  supine.  Not  so 
the  Great  Shepherd  slumbered  !  Not  so  did  he  charge 
the  Apostolic  Shepherds— -feedmy  sheep— feed  my  lambs. 
Not  so  did  the  noble  Paul  watch  over  his  Philippians, 
on  the  service  of  whose  faith  he  was  willing  to  be  offer¬ 
ed  up.  Not  so  our  Cranmers,  Ridleys,  Latimers  and 
Hoopers  quenched  the  violence  of  fire. 

What  avail,  my  reverend  Brethren,  the  doctrinal  pu¬ 
rity  of  our  articles,  the  Christian  spirit  of  our  Liturgy 
i«.nd  Services,  and  the  apostolic  gravity  of  our  Homilies, 
unless  they  be  embodied  in  the  Clergy,  and  endued 
■with  life  and  action  ?  However  excellent,  they  are  not  a 
living  CHURCH.  We  must  support  them,  and  not  they 
us.  1  hey  cannot,  of  themselves,  endure  the  fiery  or¬ 
deal  of  our  times.  From  the  external  enemies  of  our 
Church,  we  have  nothing  to  fear  :  for  who ,  or  what  shall 
harm  us,  If  we  be  followers  of  that  which  is  good  ?  But 
it  is  from  ourselves,  that  we  have  every  thing  to  appre¬ 
hend.  A  Laodicean  temper  and  secular  life,  personal 
neglect  of  the  great  salvation,  and  negligence  in  the 
discharge  of  our  ministerial  office,  these  are  the  mystic 
hngers  of  that  invisible  hand,  which  writes  in  legible 
characters,  Ye  are  weighed  in  the  balances ,  and  are 
found  wanting.  In  respect  of  Missions,  and  of  every 
thing  else  in  which  we  fail,  let  us  then  rouse  ;  and  re¬ 
deem  our  Church  from  ruin,  and  ourselves  from  shame. 
Let  us  prove  to  the  world,  that  the  cause  of  Christ  is 
dear  to  us ;  and  that  we  have  nobler  motives  of  prefe¬ 
rence  to  our  Church,  than  those  of  ease,  honour,  and 
emolument. 

By  the  meekness  and  gentleness  of  Christ,  I  beseech 
you,  Brethren,  forgive  this  my  boldness  toward  you  • 
and  do  me  the  justice  to  believe,  that  I  hope  better 
things  of  you,  though  I  thus  speak.  You  will  arise,  and 

nobly  redeem  your  own  honour,  and  that  of  our  venera¬ 
ble  Church ;  and,  in  this  confidence,  the  meanest  of  her 
sons  addresses  to  you  the  word  of  exhortation.— The 

7fA!  ?' a?  uP°n  y°u-  To  you,  Asia  and 
Africa  stretch  forth  their  hands.  From  you,  they  de¬ 
mand  their  portion  of  the  inheritance  under  the  New 
1  estament,  of  which  you  are  the  Trustees  and  adminis¬ 
trators.  To  you  the  Church  looks  for  the  confirmation 


16 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


of  her  best  hopes,  and  the  prophecies  for  their  most- 
glorious  accomplishment.  Your  Baptismal  Vow  binds 
you  to  take  a  part  with  the  zealous  Laity  ;  and  your  Or¬ 
dination  to  the  Sacred  Office  is  your  glorious  preroga¬ 
tive  to  be  leaders  of  the  war.  How  beautiful  arc  their 
feet  on  the  mountains ,  who  publish  glad  tidings  of  peace  : 
who  say  unto  Zion ,  Behold  thy  God  ! 

Do  you  still  hesitate  ?  Go  to  Mount  Tabor,  and  con¬ 
template  the  glory  of  your  Immanuel,  as  of  the  Only  Be¬ 
gotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth.  Behold, 
in  Gethsemane,  the  Son  of  Man,  prostrate  on  the  earth 
— inexpressible  anguish  forcing  from  his  person  a  pre¬ 
ternatural  and  bloody  sweat — thrice  deprecating  the  cup 
of  sorrow,  and  then  meekly  drinking  it  to  the  dregs  S 
Place  yourself  beneath  his  Cross.  Mark  the  sorrows  of 
the  Friend  and  Mother  of  your  Lord.  Hear  the  savage 
shouts  cf  the  infuriate  populace  ;  and  the  brutal  insults 
of  the  priests  and  rulers.  Behold  the  Lamb  slain  front 
the  foundatioTi  cf  the  world :  the  Lamb  of  God  that  ta- 
keth  away  its  sins.  Look  into  his  heart,  and  read  there 
love  unutterable  :  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest :  peace 
and  good-will  to  man.  Listen  to  his  dying  pardons,  bles¬ 
sings,  and  prayers.  Drink  in  his  last  breath,  It  is  fin¬ 
ished  J  while  earth  trembles,  heaven  mourns,  rocks 
rend,  the  sun  refuses  to  shine,  and  nature  groans. — Say, 
is  this  thy  Master,  thy  Saviour,  thy  God  ?  Do  thy  eter¬ 
nal  hopes  hang  with  him  on  the  cross  ?  And  dost  thou 
expect  to  see  him  again  in  glory,  and  that  he  will  say 
unto  thee,  Well  done ,  good  and  faithful  servant,  enter 
thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord  ?  And  will  not  such  match¬ 
less  love  constrain  us  to  forsake  all,  to  take  up  our 
cross,  and  to  follow  him  ? — will  it  not  constrain  us  to  say, 
il  Lord,  we  are  thine  by  every  sacred  tie.  Appoint  to 
us  our  work,  and  the  bounds  of  our  habitation.  All 
countries  and  climates  are  alike  :  life  and  death  are 
equal :  only  let  us  live  and  die  for  thee  ? 

Such  meditations  as  these,  my  Brethren,  frequent  and 
brought  home  to  the  heart,  familiarized  and  wrought  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  into  the  temper  of  our  minds,  would 
spread  the  Spirit  of  Missions  far  and  wide,  among  the 
Clergy  and  Laity.  Our  very  women  would  catch  the 
sacred  fire,  and  glory  in  the  warfare  of  the  cross. — 
Christian  Matrons  I  from  whose  endeared  and  endear- 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


17 


ing  lips,  we  first  heard  of  the  wondrous  Babe  of  Beth¬ 
lehem,  and  were  taught  to  bend  our  knee  to  Jesus— ye, 
who  fii  st  taught  these  eagles  how  to  soar,  will  ye  now 
check  their  flight  in  the  midst  of  heaven  ?  «  I  am 
weary,”  said  the  ambitious  Cornelia,  “  of  being  called 
Scipio  s  Daughter.  Do  something,  my  sons,  to  style 
me  the  Mother  of  the  Gracchi.”  And  what  morelaud- 
able  ambition  can  inspire  you,  than  a  desire  to  be  the 
Mothers  of  the  Missionaries,  Confessors,  and  Martyrs 
of  Jesus?  Generations  unborn  shall  call  you  blessed. 
1  he  Churches  of  Asia  and  Africa,  when  they  make 
grateful  mention  of  their  founders,  will  say,  Blessed  be 
the  wombs  which  bare  them ,  and  the  breasts  which  they 
have  sucked  !  Ye  Wives  also  of  the  Clergy,  let  it  not 
be  said,  that,  while  ye  love  the  milder  virtues  of  the 
Man,  ye  are  incapable  of  alliance  with  the  grandeur  of 
the  Minister.  The  Wives  of  Christian  Soldiers  should 
learn  to  rejoice  at  the  sound  of  the  battle.  'House  then 
the  slumbering  courage  of  your  soldiers  to  the  field:  and 
think  no  place  so  safe,  so  honoured,  as  the  camp  of  Jc- 
sus.  Tell  the  missionary  story  to  your  little  ones,  un¬ 
til  then  young  hearts  burn  ;  and,  in  the  spirit  of  those 
innocents  who  shouted  Hosanna  to  their  lowly  Kino- 
they  cry,  “shall  not  we  also  be  the  Missionaries  of  Je¬ 
sus  Christ?” 


And  what,  I  beseech  you,  Brethren,  is  the  Spirit  of 
Missions,  but  the  Spirit  of  Christianity  operating  in  its 
divinest  energies,  and  closely  treading  in  the  steps  of 
our  Lord  and  of  his  Apostles  ?  Be  it  then  the  peculiar 
concern  of  this  Association  to  fan  and  spread  this  hal¬ 
lowed  flame.  From  the  pulpit  and  from  the  press 
again  and  again,  let  the  subject  be  brought  before  the 
Church  and  her  Mm^ters,  under  every  possible  form, 
t  all  ioith  our  ablest  pens  and  warmest  hearts.  Be  the 
temperaments  of  men  hot  or  cold  ;  whether  their  heads 
or  hearts  must  be  assailed  ;  only  let  them  be  Christian 
and  they  will  be  won  to  our  cause.  For  what  honest 
mind  can  withstand  the  consolidated  force  of  scripture 
and  reason,  with  which  it  may  be  urged  ?  or  what  feel¬ 
ing  heart  resist  the  bursts  of  sacred  elocution  which  it 
inspires  ?  We  need  only  to  be  brought  into  contact  with 
it,  and  we  must  catch  its  spirit.  Nothing  Christian 
can  sustain  so  strong  and  bright  a  flame. 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


15 


What  should  affright  us  from  this  war  ?  It  is  not  the 
voice  of  the  martial  Godfrey,  which  calls  us  to  slaugh¬ 
ter  ;  but  that  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  who  invites  us  to 
attend  his  steps,  while  he  folds  his  sheep  among  the 
Gentiles ;  when  we  shall  all  be  one  fold ,  under  one 
Shepherd.  It  is  not  for  the  land  of  malediction,  stained 
with  his  innocent  blood,  and  the  sepulchre  in  which  he 
reposed  for  a  night,  that  we  contend  ;  but  for  his  spirit¬ 
ual,  saving,  and  universal  reign.  We  carry  not  war, 
but  peace  in  our  arms.  No  trumpet  shall  sound,  but 
that  of  the  jubilee  ;  no  sword  be  drawn,  but  that  of  the 
Spirit;  no  blood  shed,  but  that  of  joyful  martyrs.  And 
if,  in  defiance  of  religion,  reason,  and  policy,  the  rude 
eloquence  of  Peter  of  Amiens  armed  the  nations  of 
the  West,  and  precipitated  Europe  on  the  head  of  Asia, 
shall  we  despair  of  a  Crusade  to  save  and  bless  man¬ 
kind,  and  which  is  sanctioned  by  every  principle 

OF  UNDEFILED  RELIGION,  SOBER  REASON,  AND  SOUND 

policy?  Then,  great  Emperors  and  Kings,  illustrious 
Princes,  mitred  Prelates,  and  all  Orders  of  Men,  took 
the  Cross  ;  and  why  should  they  refuse  it  now  ?  Super¬ 
stition  has  had  its  day,  and  a  dreadful  one  it  was.  The 
day  of  Atheism,  miscalled  the  Age  of  Reason,  has  suc¬ 
ceeded,  and  bleeding  nations  display  its  trophies.  It  is 
time  for  the  day  of  Religion  to  take  place  ;  and  for  the 
wearied  creature  to  rest,  in  the  peaceful  and  pacific 
kingdom  of  the  Son  of  God. 

From  the  Reformation,  the  Bishops  of  Rome  have 
exerted  all  their  influence  in  Missions  ;  and  what  they 
did  effect,  evinces  what  may  be  done  by  a  purer  reli¬ 
gion.  The  FAITHFUL,  CATHOLIC,  and  CHRISTIAN, 
Kings  of  Portugal,  Spain,  and  France  have  endeavored 
to  merit  those  titles,  by  their  powerful  patronage  of 
Missions.  All  orders  of  the  Roman  Priesthood  have 
vied  with  one  another  in  missionary  zeal.  They  have 
submitted  to  every  privation  and  hardship :  they  have 
shunned  no  danger;  and  have  been  nobly  prodigal  of 
life.  The  Princes  of  Denmark  have  thought  them¬ 
selves  honoured,  in  extending  his  kingdom,  by  whom 
kings  reign.  Even  the  Commercial  States  of  Holland, 
and  other  Protestant  Powers,,  have  done  honour  to  our 
Holy  Religion.  But,  in  England,  so  far  as  Missions 
are  concerned,  till  of  late,  we  have  hardly  assumed  the 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS, 


19 


aspect  of  a  Christian  Country  :  we  have  neither  treated 
religion  as  a  thing  divine,  nor  deigned  to  use  it  as 
an  instrument  of  state.  Yet,  to  the  influence  of  reli¬ 
gion  is  Europe  indebted  for  her  superiority  over  the 
other  continents.  Religion  saved  her  in  the  fall  of  the 
Roman  Empire,  and  vanquished  all  the  northern  con¬ 
querors.  In  the  middle  ages,  Christian  Kings  trem¬ 
bled  before  the  pagan  Dane,  Norman,  Saxon,  and 
Hungarian.  Ly  cession  of  territory,  by  the  marriage 
of  their  daughters,  and  even  by  the  sword,  they  pro¬ 
pagated  the  religion  of  Jesus,  as  an  instrument  of 
state  ;  as  the  only  bond,  which  could  bind  those  faith¬ 
less  barbarians.  To  whatever  censures  their  conduct 
is  open,  they  knew,  at  least,  the  value  of  religion,  as 
connected  with  the  temporal  welfare  of  mankind,  and 
did  not  treat  it  with  the  superlative  contempt  which  we 
have  done.  The  influence  of  religion  withdrawn,  ev¬ 
ery  malevolent  demon  hath  ravaged  the  continent. 
At  this  hour,  religion,  Protestant  religion,  is  the 
bulwark,  shield,  swoid,  and  glory  of  Britain  ;  and  if 
Providence  has  placed  under  her  dominion  the  provin¬ 
ces  of  the  distant  East,  it  is  hard  to  say  for  what  pur¬ 
pose,  worthy  of  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth,  it  is  done, 
unless  it  be,  that  we  may  impart  to  them  the  blessed 
religion  of  Jesus.  They,  and  the  poor  slaves  in  the 
West  Indies,  are  now  our  fellow-subjects  as  wrell  as 
our  fellow-creatures  ;  and,  if  we  continue  to  despise 
them  as  brute  beasts  who  have  no  souls  to  be  saved, 
and  persist  to  intercept  the  blood-bought  bounties  of 
our  God,  they  will  have  a  great  and  terrible  avenger, 
who  will  respect  no  dignities  in  the  Church  or  State, 
and  who  will  call  the  most  serious  clergy  to  the 
most  serious  account;  for  WE  know  our  Master’s 
will,  and  we  approve  it ,  and  yet  we  do  it  not. 

.  1  repeat,  we  have  not  assumed  the  aspect  of  a  Chris¬ 
tian  Country.  Of  all  our  English  Kings,  not  one  has 
stood  forth  as  the  Leader  and  Patron  of  any  National 
Attempt  to  propagate  through  the  Heathen  World  that 
faith,  of  which  they  all  claim,  and  not  without  justice, 
to  be  the  Defenders.  I  state  the  fact,  but  my  censure 
falls  rather  on  those  who  should  suggest  this  duty  to 
the  Throne,  than  on  the  Throne  itself:  for  I  will  not 
believe,  until  it  be  proved,  that  there  has  lived,  qk 


20 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


lives,  a  Prince  of  the  House  of  Brunswick,  in  particu¬ 
lar,  who  would  withhold  his  princely  aid  from  the  king¬ 
dom  of  his  God.* 

Neither  are  our  hopes  less  firmly  founded  on  the 
British  Senate.  The  care  of  religion,  they  deem  not 
beneath  the  dignity  of  their  legislative  wisdom.  The 
residence  of  the  Clergy,  the  amelioration  of  their  hum¬ 
ble  stipends,  the  support  even  of  a  Roman  College, 
the  different  claims  of  English  Dissenters  and  Irish 
Catholics,  have  all,  in  their  turns,  come  before  them, 
and  have  been  discussed  with  calmness  and  dignity. 
By  that  August  Assembly,  the  chain  of  Africa  has  been 
broken,  and  their  country  exonerated  from  a  load  of 
blood.  And  if  these  comparatively  minor  points  have 
been  respected,  surely  they  will  lend  a  patient  car  to 
our  Common  Christianity — the  dearest  interests  of 
mankind — the  ardent  prayers  and  joyful  hopes  of  the 
Universal  Church — the  dear-bought  purchase  of  our 
Redeemer’s  blood — the  cause  for  which  the  wisdom, 
goodness,  and  power  of  the  Eternal  Majesty  at  first 
created,  and  still  supports  the  universe. 

The  Throne,  the  Senate,  is  not  dead,  but  sleejieth. 
The  voice,  that  is  to  wake  their  Christian  Virtue,  must 
proceed  from  the  Altar.  And  whither  should  we  look, 
but  to  you,  ye  Venerable  Men,  whom  the  pleasure  of 
your  Sovereign,  and  the  Providence  of  Heaven,  have 
exalted  to  be  “  Fathers  in  God/’  and  the  great  Lumi¬ 
naries  of  the  Church  of  England  ? — Ye  are  our  great¬ 
est — be  ye  our  best.  To  you  it  is  given,  to  approach 
the  throne  of  Majesty  ;  and,  without  offence  to  admon¬ 
ish  kings.  To  you  it  is  given  to  raise  your  voices 
among  the  Princes  of  Britain,  and  to  plead  for  your 
Saviour  and  your  God.  Raise  then  your  pastoral  voi¬ 
ces,  and  all  ihe  Clergy  shall  hear.  Lead — and  your 
obedient  sons  will  follow  :  command — and  they  will 
obey.  To  your  wisdom  and  piety  we  commend  the 
most  momentous  cause,  ever  brought  before  a  British 

*  The  first  Sovereign,  indeed,  of  this  illustrious  family  who 
sat  on  our  throne,  patronized  the  first  Protestant.  Mission  in 
India,  and  encouraged  the  Missionaries  by  his  letters:  (See 
Buchanan  on  an  Ecclesiastical  Establishment  for  British  India, 
pp.  232 — 234.)butmy  remark  applies  to  a  national  attempt 
— such  as  might  be  justly  expected  from  an  enlightened  Chris¬ 
tian  Country. 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


o  ] 

/V  A 

King  and  Parliament :  and  may  He,  whose  ambassadors 
ye  are,  bow  before  you  the  hearts  of  the  Sovereign 
and  of  the  Senate,  and  make  them  all  to  vise  to  build 
the  House  of  their  God  ! 

I  am  not  ignorant,  that,  a  century  ago,  the  respectable 
u  Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,”  were 
the  first  to  assert  the  Missionary  Cause  ;  that,  under 
their  auspices  and  at  their  expense,  was  published  the 
first  Oriental  Version  of  the  Scriptures  ;  that  the  Lu¬ 
theran  Ministers  employed  in  their  Missions  have  been 
pious,  wise,  and  indefatigable ;  that  Swartz  has  left 
behind  him  an  apostolic  name  ;  that  the  effects  of  these 
Missions  have  been  equal,  perhaps  superior,  to  what  has 
been  done  by  all  the  rest  of  Europe,  in  that  period  of 
time  ;  and  that  they  still  continue  their  labours  in  India. 
All  this  they  have  done  under  great  disadvantages  and 
with  slender  funds  ;  when  their  countrymen,  in  general, 
viewed  the  subject  with  lifeless  apathy,  and,  for  this, 
they  merit  the  gratitude  of  the  Church.  But  though  it 
should  be  granted,  that  they  have  done  all  which  exist¬ 
ing  circumstances  would  permit,  yet  all  will  not  inval¬ 
idate  my  censures.  Nothing  has  been  done  by  authori¬ 
ty — nothing  worthy  of  England — nothing  adequate  to 
the  object — nothing  by  the  English  Clergy!  What  has 
been  done  fora  century,  proves  the  absolute  necessity 
of  calling  all  our  forces  into  the  field,  and  rousing  the 
whole  Church,  Clergy  and  Laity  to  strain  every  nerve  of 
exertion.  Inveterate  prejudices  yield  only  to  time. 
Missions,  at  first  treated  as  wild  and  romantic,  begin 
now  to  be  considered  feasible,  as  well  as  laudable  :  and, 
in  a  few  years,  I  trust,  they  will  be  thought  the  necessary 
result  ol  sober  Christianity ;  and  that  they  who  refuse 
to  concur  in  them,  have  virtually  denied  the  faith ,  and 
are  worse  than  Infidels. 

The  trumpet  of  the  Millennial  Jubilee  is,  at  last, 
heard  among  the  thousands  of  Israel,  and  will  soon  fill 
all  the  tents  of  Jacob.  Serious  Christians  of  all  de¬ 
nominations  are  espousing  the  Cause  of  Missions,  and 
anxious  to  firejiare  the  way  of  the  Lord.  Among  others, 
this  Association  of  attached  Members  of  the  Church  of 
England  is  not  ashamed  to  claim  an  interest  in  the  Son 
of  David.  But,  sorry  am  I  to  say,  that  the  Clergy,  and 
the  Clergy  alone,  decline  the  Cross.  We  claim  the 


22 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


palm — oh,  why  will  we  not  deserve  it  ?  In  the  midst 
of  judgment  and  mercy,  while  war  shakes  cur  coasts, 
shall  we  recline  indolently  under  our  vine  and  fig-tree  j 
and  bid  our  Lord  extend  his  kingdom,  how  and  by 
whom  he  will  ?  In  comparison  of  this,  defeat  itself 
were  victory.  The  Church,  while  lamenting  their  de¬ 
feat,  would  magnanimously  console  her  vanquished 
Missionaries ;  and  would  renew  the  war  writh  redoub¬ 
led  zeal  and  better  hopes.  But,  when  not  one  Clergy¬ 
man  will  arm  in  the  cause  of  his  Redeemer,  what  is  to 
be  said  l  The  fact  is,  I  believe,  unparalleled  in  the 
annals  of  the  Church.  That  it  is  a  fact,  I  appeal  to  this 
Association,  and  ask,  “Have  you,  my  honoured  Breth¬ 
ren,  in  Africa,  or  in  the  East,  one  English  Clergyman, 
who  serves  as  a  missionary  ?”  From  such  a  spirit,  lit¬ 
tle  is  to  be  hoped  ;  and  if,  as  I  said  before,  I  confident¬ 
ly  expect  the  Clergy  will  redeem  their  honour,  it  is  not 
the  language  of  eulogy  that  is  to  rouse  them.  The 
Cause  of  Missions  must  be  pleaded  with  a  boldness, 
which  knows  no  fear  nor  compromise  ;  and  in  this  spir¬ 
it  only,  we  can  do  all  things ,  through  Christ  which 
strengthened  us. 

Still,  this  Society  is  undiscouraged  ;  and  despairs 
neither  of  Missions,  nor  of  the  co-operation  of  the 
Clergy.  They  patiently  wait  the  salvation  of  God  ;  and, 
in  the  meanwhile,  avail  themselves  of  such  instruments 
as  he  supplies.  A  small  number  of  pious  foreigners, 
Lutheran  Clergy,  are  now  engaged  in  their  Missions. 
But,  highly  as  we  are  obliged  to  them,  highly  as  we  re¬ 
spect  them,  and  most  cordially  as  we  accept  their  godly 
services,  my  duty  this  day  obliges  to  say,  that  the  flow¬ 
er  of  the  Lutheran  Clergy  cannot  promote  our  cause 
like  those  of  our  own  establishment.  Their  persons, 
characters,  and  connexions  are  necessarily  unknowm  j 
and  cannot  excite  that  lively  interest  and  emulation 
with  which  we  should  view  the  labours  of  our  own 
Clergy.  Independently  of  the  disgraceful  confession, 
that  we  have  not  piety  to  conduct  our  own  Missions, 
should  they  be  permitted  once  to  flow  in  a  foreign 
channel,  we  damp  the  Spirit  of  Missions,  and  destroy 
the  vital  sap  that  should  feed  them  :  for  the  Clergy  will 
feel  themselves  discharged  from  the  war ;  and,  instead 
©f  our  spirit  and  resources  increasing  with  success  and 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


23 


the  demand  for  greater  exertions,  we  shall  soon  relapse 
into  our  former  apathy.  Not  only  our  honour,  but  our 
zeal  and  success,  depend  on  our  employing  our  own 
countrymen,  as  much  as  we  can.  The  God  ofTruth 
will  not  impute  to  the  English  Clergy,  the  services  of 
pious  foreigners.  Our  own  work  can  be  best  done  by 
our  own  hands. 

The  Annual  Sermons  and  Reports  of  this  Society  are 
loud  calls  on  the  Clergy.  Every  thing  passes  before 
our  eyes,  which  can  provoke  us  to  jealousy.  We  hear, 
we  see  :  yet  the  greater  part  cares  not  for  these  things  ; 
and  they  who  do,  content  with  affording  pecuniary  aid, 
withhold  unanimously  their  personal  service.  Have 
Carey  and  his  Baptists  had  more  forgiven  than  we,  that 
they  should  love  more  ?  Have  the  fervent  Methodists 
and  patient  Moravians  been  extortionate  publicans,  that 
they  should  expend  their  all,  in  a  cause  which  we  de¬ 
cline  ?  Have  our  Independent  and  Lutheran  Brethren 
persecuted  the  Church,  that  they  should  be  now  so  much 
more  zealous,  in  propagating  the  faith  they  once  de¬ 
stroyed  ?  Would  a  British  Army,  fed,  clothed,  honour¬ 
ed,  and  rewarded  by  their  Sovereign,  stand  inactive, 
and  see  brave  allies  bleeding  in  their  battles,  and  the 
fate  of  their  country  suspended  on  a  foreign  sword  ? 
The  Great  Dictator  once  brought  to  reason  a  refractory- 
legion  by  a  word— “  Citizens  !  depart.”  And  fear  we 
not  the  anger  of  our  Immortal  Sovereign,  who  now 
smite th  through  kings — subverteth  thrones,  altars,  and 
kingdoms — breaketh  the  arm  of  the  mighty — maketh 
foolish  the  wisdom  of  counsellors — trampleth  on  the 
necks  of  prelates  ;  and  sendeth  to  us  the  Gallican  Cler¬ 
gy,  to  tell  us,  that  it  is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  living  God  ? 

An  opinion  seems  to  prevail,  that  our  meanest  Min¬ 
isters  arc  fittest  for  Missionaries,  and  that  our  best  and 
greatest  are  superior  to  the  office.  This  opinion,  I  con¬ 
ceive,  is  arrogant  and  contemptuous  ;  as  pregnant  with 
mischiefs,  as  unfounded  in  truth.  Surely  we  can  better 
spare  one  or  two  great  men,  than  millions  of  wretched 
Heathens  can  dispense  with  their  services.  An  able 
General  is  worth  half  his  army  ;  an  apostolic  Bishop 
half  his  Clergy.  On  great  men  the  Almighty  suspends, 
sometimes,  the  fate  of  Churches  and  Nations  ;  and  this 
is  a  crisis  in  our  affairs,  which  seems  to  call  for  the 


24 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


% 


services  of  no  common  characters.  The  meanest  of 
our  Missionaries  should  be  greatly  good,  to  embark  in 
a  godlike  work,  on  godlike  motives.  Great  activity, 
industry,  patience,  fortitude,  and  perseverance  are 
qualifications  essential  to  the  Missionary.  Without 
these,  he  never  can  succeed.  Zeal,  disinterestedness, 
talents,  elocution,  will  not  avail  without  their  firm  sup¬ 
port.  How  few,  even  of  good  men,  combine  a  large 
proportion  of  these  solid  qualities  !  Blunt  must  be  that 
tool,  which  receives  not  an  edge  from  incessant  sharpen¬ 
ing;  barren  the  soil,  which  derives  not  fertility  from 
patient  cultivation.  Men,  thus  diligent  in  the  noblest 
business,  cannot  be  mean  men  ;  nor  shall  they  stand 
before  mean  men,  but  before  the  princes  of  God’s  peo¬ 
ple.  Usefulness,  peace,  and  honour  will  attend  all  their 
steps.  They  are  the  men  whom  we  want.  They  have 
the  qualifications  of  Missionaries,  though  they  should 
not  have  one  splendid  trait  in  their  characters.  But  to 
these  veteran  qualities  which  maintain  the  tug  of  battle, 
if  we  can  accumulate  on  our  Missionary  every  endow¬ 
ment  of  nature  and  every  improvement  of  education, 
nothing  will  be  superfluous.  We  will  despise  no  man  : 
we  will  flatter  no  man.  It  was  to  no  inferior,  nor  even 
ruling  Angel,  that  God  committed  the  work  of  our  sal¬ 
vation.  It  was  delegated  to  his  own  dear  Son,  and  it 
pleased  the  Father ,  not  to  spare,  but  to  bruise  him  ;  to 
subject  him  to  every  suffering  and  indignity,  that  none 
might  claim  exemption,  from  the  peasant  to  the  prince. 
In  his  hand  the  weakest  instrument  shall  be  strong, 
and  the  noblest  derive  dignity  from  his  meanest  service. 
The  Master  Builders  of  the  Sanctuary  must  be  no  com¬ 
mon  artists.  Bezaleel  and  Aholiab ,  in  whose  hearts  is  the 
spirit  of  God ,  in  wisdom ,  in  understanding,  and  in 
knowledge  ;  to  know  how  to  work  all  manner  of  work  for 
the  Sanctuary ,  must  build  it.  When  on  earth,  the  gen¬ 
erous  St.  Paul  could  not  brook  to  build  on  another  man’s 
foundation  ;  or  to  boast  of  things  made  ready  to  his  hand 
in  another’s  line  of  service.  Could  he  be  permitted  to 
aid  the  labours  of  the  Church  from  heaven,  what  could 
we  offer  him  but  this  deserted  standard,  and  request 
him  to  lead  us  to  Delhi,  to  Ispahan,  and  Mecca  ? 

Pre-eminent  as  the  Episcopal  Order  is  now,  the  Apos¬ 
tles  and  Evangelists  claimed  the  glorious  work  of  Mis¬ 
sions,  as  their  own.  It  was  the  post  of  danger,  suffer- 


&T&RMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


25 


lag,  and  labour  ;  and,  therefore,  the  post  of  honour. 
bo  it  is  now.  Mean  is  the  man,  who  thinks  it  mean. 

he  othce  has  sunk  m  estimation,  because  we  are  too  lit¬ 
tle  to  assert  its  dignity;  but  when  that  day  shall  come— 
and  come  it  will— when  God  shall  again  pour  out  his 
Spirit  from  on  high,  then  we  shall  learn  war,  and  know 
how  to  use  missionary  arms.  The  sword  is  nothing, 
without  the  hand  that  wields  it.  The  glorious  Gos¬ 
pel  itself  may  be  made  a  mere  neutral  thing.  We 
have  the  sword  of  St.  Paul,  the  sword,  of  God,  into 
whose  ethereal  temper  the  Holy  Ghost  has  wrought  all 
the  truth  and  wisdom,  all  the  grace  and  power  of  God. 
On  its  double  edge  are  life  and  death.  All  the  idols  of 

the  East  anc  South  are  destined  to  fall  before  its  insuf- 

feiabie  brightness.  But  where  is  the  hand  to  grasp  it  ? 

weaneng  would  Slory  to  use  this  immortal 

to  thi  rl  bUl  ^.not  be-  It  is  the  gift  of  Christ 

bee iiftv  )Z  ;r"rd.1V?  t0ube  USed  on!y  by  conscious  im- 

the  elle  l  °Ugh  faith  1Q  the  Lorcl  of  lhe  Sword,  that  all 

h  mi  l  y-f  JhG  ^eapon  and  of  the  faith  that  uses 
it,  may  be  ascribed  to  God  alone. 

\  e  Leaders  of  the  Armies  of  the  Living  God,  dare 

sword  °anH  Christ.ffh  st?engtheneth youf receive  this 
swold,  and  war  with  it  against  those  fallen  angels,  who 

have  usurped  dominion  in  Africa  and  in  the  East  and 
opposed  their  bloody  altars  and  filthy  mysterfes  to  the 

Sen'e  MW°  °.ffer  •V0U  fi'st  honour,.! 

la  /  rT1'**  ‘  c’ilh  his  the  /el. 

low  shift  of  /ns  sufferings  :  a  conformity  to  his  life  who 

had  net  where  ,o  l„j  Hu  Head  ;  and  a  conformity  to  his 

covS’t'lmntnfiP'ud  °n  •  C1°SS-  What  mor°  ca" 
covet,  than  to  fight  conspicuous  on  the  sharpest  ed"e  of 

sTlvaZ  r  *Y“med?at«  of  the  CapSSn of  four 
Salvation,  and  sheltered  under  his  arm,  until  you  die  at 

Jus  feet,  and,  it  may  be,  have  your  pale  brows  graced 

^b ^  martyr’s  crown  ?  Is  not  this  ?he  consummation 

thir  i  Cr  1 1TStlan  a™.bltlon  enough  to  satiate  the  infinite 
thnst  of  glory,  which  Christ  excites  in  the  Soldiers  of 

like  v°f *  ‘  X-n  c.omparison  of  this,  how  poor  is  it,  to  fall 
like  Nelson,  in  the  arms  of  Victory-cohered  with  stars 

ed  wkh’a  n  t?  honourabJe  wounds  ;  and  to  be  embalm- 
cu  with  a  nation  s  tears  ! 

Hear  the  gracious  declarations  of  your  Lord;  Verily 

C 


Q  6 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS, 


1  say  unto  you ,  that  yey  ’who  have  followed  me  in  the  re - 
generation ,  when  the  Son  of  Man  shall  sit  on  the  throne 
of  his  glory ,  shall  also  sit  on  twelve  thrones  judging  the 
twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  And  every  one  that  hath  forsa¬ 
ken  houses ,  or  brethren ,  or  sisters ,  or  j ather ,  or  mother , 
or  wife ,  or  children ,  or  /arads  /or  ?rz/  «a£e,  s^a/Z  receive 
a  hundred  fold ,  and  «/za//  inherit  eternal  life.  And  who¬ 
soever  shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven ,  fAe 
same  is  my  brother ,  and  sister ,  and  mother.  Brother  !— 
Sister  ! — Mother  ! — what  words  of  grace  are  these  !  If 
felt  aright  the  Church  would  never  want  missionaries 
or  martyrs. 

It  may  be  thought  that  I  am  soliciting  the  migration 
of  the  Clergy.  Far  from  it.  One  in  a  hundred  might 
supply  our  wants  a  hundred  years  hence.  Would  God 
we  had  twenty  !  would  God  we  had  ten,  worthy  of  the 
fame  of  the  Church  of  England  !  whose  wisdom  might 
direct,  whose  courage  might  animate,  and  whose  influ¬ 
ence  might  serve  as  a  centre  of  union  to  the  pious  youth 
from  our  colleges,  who  would  soon  resortto  our  standard, 
when  conducted  by  such  leaders.  A  College  in  the 
East  for  Religion  and  the  Oriental  Languages,  under 
their  auspices,  might  one  day  rival  the  famed  Alexan¬ 
drian  School ;  and  produce  even  native  students  to  vie 
with  its  most  renowned  worthies. 

For,  next  to  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  Missionaries 
is  that  of  giving  effect  to  their  labours,  by  affording  ev¬ 
ery  facility,  for  the  acquisition  of  the  native  tongues. 
To  relinquish  our  connexions  at  home  requires  a  pain¬ 
ful  effort ;  but,  when  that  effort  is  made,  the  ties  which 
hold  us  shall  yield  to  it,  as  threads  consumed  by  fire. 
At  personal  hardship  and  inconvenience,  the  Christian 
will  smile.  The  care  and  provision  of  our  wives  and 
orphans  touch  the  lenderest  chords  of  nature  :  the  he¬ 
ro  feels  as  a  man,  and  the  saint  is  not  ashamed  to  be  so  : 
but  the  pang,  though  sharp,  is  transient:  these  loved 
pledges  we  bequeath  to  the  Chureh,  and  Jesus  will 
place  them  under  the  care  of  some  Beloved  Disciple. 
Glorious  martyrdom  is  thrown  so  far  into  the  back 
ground  of  the  Missionary  Picture,  that  it  is  hardly  to  be 
seen  ;  and,  if  seen  at  all,  it  will,  I  trust,  be  viewed  as 
the  crown  of  honourable  love  and  approved  service. 
But,  for  adults  again  to  go  to  school  j  for  ministers  to 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS, 


l&y  aside  their  Bibles  for  grammars  ;  to  devote  their 
prune  oflife,  which  they  woiild  think  best  improved  in 
the  delightful  labours  of  the  pulpit,  to  the  painful  ac¬ 
quirement  of  languages  ;  and  perhaps,  to  fall  victims 
to  disease,  before  they  have  well  entered  on  their  Mis¬ 
sions— these  are,  indeed,  discouraging  considera¬ 
tions.  bo  much  so,  that  some  good  men  despair  of  any 
success  worthy  of  our  efforts,  unless  the  Gift  of 
Tongues  were  revived  in  the  Church.  To  this  objec 
tion  our  reply  is  simple  and  obvious—  The  King’s  busi¬ 
ness  requireth  haste.  We  have  no  alternative  but  to 
obey,  and  to  leave  the  issue  with  God.  Judah  and  Israel 
shall  be  gathered.  The  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  shall 

hKard°^H  T'  h  *1°  ShaU  be  done*  The  zeal  of  the 
Lorclofnos.s  shall  perform  this.  But,  whether  this  be 

effected,  by  ordinary  or  extraordinary  means,  is  of  no 

lmpoitance.  Miracles  are  great  things  to  little  man  ; 

nothing  to  the  Glorious  God.  To  him  they  cannot  be 

necessary  ;  and  therefore  not  to  us.  For  we  can  do  all 

things,  through' Christ  vMck  strengtheneth  us.  Never- 

thexess,  that  assistance,  which  we  cannot  command  from 

the  extraordinary  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  we  ought  the 

moie  solicitously  to  implore  from  the  succours  of  his 

grace.  It  we  cannot  speak  with  tongues,  we  ought,  at 

least,  carefully  to  provide  every  means  to  facilitate  the 

fof  lanpages  ;  and  should  avail  ourselves,  in  its 
utmost  extent,  of  the  advantages  of  the  press. 

io  produce  those  strenuous  exertions,  necessary  to 
the  end  which  we  would  obtain,  we  must  be  raised  and 
hrecl,  by  near  views  of  the  glory  of  the  latter  day.  To 
faith,  as  to  the  God  whom  she  serves,  a  thousand  years 
are  as  one  day.  Nevertheless,  let  us  not  indulge  illu- 
sive  hopes  of  immediate  and  splendid  success.  As  vet 
we  are  only  exploring  the  perils  of  the  Desert,  and  not 
entering  on  the  Land  of  Promise.  We  may  expect  a 
night,  long,  dark,  and  perhaps  tempestuous  ;  and  should 
be  prepared  to  toil  patiently  at  the  oar,  in  sure  and  cer¬ 
tain  hope  of  a  bright  morning,  when  our  Master  shall 
come  to  us  walking  on  the  waters,  and  our  weather¬ 
beaten  baik  shall  rest  in  a  secure  haven. 

One  word  more,  my  Brethren.  Let  nothing  which 
I  have  said  be  construed  as  tending  to  insinuate  that 
all  Ministers  who  decline  a  personal  engagement  in 


28 


SERMON  ON  MISSIONS. 


Missions,  are  therefore  indifferent  to  their  success. 
God  forbid  !  Very  few  of  ys  can  be  called  to  that  ser¬ 
vice.  Some  of  us  certainly  are  ;  and,  as  it  is  impossi¬ 
ble  to  say,  who  are  the  disobedient  prophets,  who  re¬ 
sist  the  Holy  Ghost,  censures,  particular  in  their 
application,  must  be  conveyed  in  general  terms.  I?ut 
certain  I  am,  that  many  hoary  veterans  would  gladly  re¬ 
new  their  youth,  to  reap  the  harvest  of  so  rich  a  field. 
Many  young  soldiers  are  ardent  to  engage  ;  but  modes¬ 
ty  and  inexperience  withhold  them.  Not  for  them¬ 
selves,  but  for  the  ark  of  God,  they  fear :  and,  when 
their  Pentecost  shall  fully  come,  they  will  go  forth,  as 
Christ’s  joyful  witnesses.  Above  all,  let  none,  whose 
zeal  shall  engage  them  first  to  take  the  cross,  fondly 
imagine,  that  they  only  dare  to  meet  the  alien  Foe. 
They  may  be  assured  that  they  will  leave  behind  them 
many  more  pious  than  themselves  ;  and  whose  faithful 
prayers,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  will  be  the  surest 
pledges  of  their  own  success.  If  a  righteous  indigna¬ 
tion,  to  see  the  armies  of  the  Living  God  defied  by 
the  proud  and  sanguinary  demons  of  the  Gentiles,  em¬ 
bolden  them  to  advance  to  the  perilous  encounter,  let 
it  be  in  the  modest  spirit  of  David,  who  trusted  not  in 
his  sling  and  stone,  but  in  that  God  whose  soldier  he 
was.  In  this  spirit,  they  may  well  disregard  the  malice 
of  envious  brethren,  who  say,  We  know  your  / iride ,  and 
the  naughtmess  of  your  hearts.  For  is  there  not  an  im¬ 
perious  cause,  why  striplings  should  seek  to  fight,  when 
neither  brave  Jonathan  draws  the  sword,  nor  warlike 
Abner  lifts  the  spear  ? 

Go  forth,  then,  ye  Soldiers  of  the  Cross  ;  and  may 
the  God  whom  ye  serve  go  forth  with  you,  and  teach 
your  hands  to  war  and  your  fngers  to  fight  i  Rejoice  in 
your  high  and  holy  calling;  and,  in  the  grateful  and 
humble  triumph  of  your  souls,  say,  Unto  us,  who  are 
less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  is  this  grace  given,  that 
we  should  fireach  among  the  Gentiles,  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ. 

Now  unto  the  King  eternal,  immortal,  invisible,  the 
only  wise  God,  be  praise,  power,  and  dominion  in  the 
Church,  throughout  all  ages.  Amen  1 


1* 

•~f‘  •  *  V 


fM 


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